Possible
by Midori Qwert
Summary: A new Jinchuuriki emerges. What will happen now? Is love possible between a guy who hardly cares, and a girl who can't stop caring? NEW SUMMARY. OCxIno!
1. Horse

Possible

Possible

Chapter One: Horse

**Author's Note: **Enjoy! The characters' personalities have changed as they turn seventeen this time.

* * *

"Did you see the new guy that just came in?"

"Yeah, he was hot," said Sakura, beaming gleefully at Ino. Ino shook her head and said, "He may just turn out to be another Shikamaru, or another Sasuke-kun." She wondered how Sakura had actually become very much like herself when she was thirteen and how she had gotten rid of her addiction over every single good-looking guy she comes across over the years. Now, being seventeen, Ino seemed much more mature than anyone else at all, except Neji, though. Her attention was directed towards the new guy as he stalked past them, as he had just come out of the Hokage's office. Ino recalled hearing Tsunade call him 'Ichiro', so she assumed that it was his name. Ichiro merely half-glanced at them and proceeded to the exit silently. Sakura looked at him leave, with a dreamy look plastered on her face. Ino nudged Sakura and said, "I remember when I was like that, over every other guy." Sakura laughed and said, "Yeah, we both were. You just grew up too fast." Ino frowned and drawled, "I'm not that old, Sakura. It was only four years ago." Her pink-haired companion smiled at her and said, "Shall we go now? Maybe we can see that guy again."

"His name is Ichiro," replied Ino, in a matter-of-fact tone. "How did you know that?" asked Sakura curiously, shooting Ino one of her suspicious looks.

"You never pay attention to your surroundings, do you?" said Ino, walking out the Hokage tower with Sakura. "I heard Tsunade calling him Ichiro, so that's probably his name; unless there's a new word for 'new guy' that Tsunade thought up of."

Before the two left the compound, however, Shizune was calling them frantically from behind. "Sakura-chan, Ino-chan, wait up!" she yelled, running towards them. Ino and Sakura turned around to greet Shizune, who was panting heavily. "I forgot… to tell you that… that guy, Takahashi Ichiro, is your new teammate, in the place of Sai, as… he's off on a… long… mission!" Ino noticed Sakura grinning from ear to ear, and realized that she was very much excited to meet her new 'hot guy'. "Okay, okay. We get it," she said, pulling her friend along with her. "Bye, Shizune-chan!" After fifteen minutes of strolling around, just as Sakura had predicted, they crossed paths with Ichiro. Sakura was the first to speak. "Hi, Ichiro-kun," she greeted, waving at him with a smile on her face. Ino waved as well, and said, "Hey."

"Hello," replied Ichiro. He was a tall shinobi, with fine features, especially his hazel brown eyes that matched his black hair. He was wearing full black, much like Naruto's jacket and pants, but it couldn't be zipped up to his neck like the blonde's. "You must be my new teammates, huh?" he said, with a small smile. "Yeah," replied Sakura. "We're pleased to meet you." Ichiro nodded in acknowledgement and said, "Yeah, same here, I guess." Ino tilted her head to the left slightly. _This guy is like Sasuke,_ she thought with much shrewdness. _But still, Sasuke was worse. _She smiled at him and said, "I look forward to working with you." Ichiro looked at Ino with a small grin and nodded again. "Alright," he said, before disappearing in the middle of the street. Ino was surprised, and suddenly grew annoyed. "Can you believe that guy? He just disappeared without a goodbye! We didn't even introduce ourselves!!"

"Oh, I don't mind. He's so cool," said Sakura, still mesmerized by Ichiro's good looks and charm. "Just like Sasuke." Ino swore that she could have slapped Sakura on the face if she wasn't her best friend. "That guy is so rude," she hissed. "But I won't deny his looks." Sakura laughed and said, "Yeah, but he's mine." Ino rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Whatever, Sakura, take him for all I care," she replied dryly. "I'm not THAT desperate."

"YAMANAKA INO!" yelled Sakura.

* * *

Takahashi Ichiro appeared in Tsunade's office again, without knocking this time. "I don't like my teammates," he complained, although his face showed no irritation. Tsunade smiled and said, "That was only two out of a whole lot more, Ichiro. Take your time. You'll get used to them sooner or later." Ichiro sighed, his face finally showing some emotion. His face looked slightly disappointed as he said, "I never knew Konoha shinobi were so desperate." Tsunade raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "Is it Ino, or Sakura?" Ichiro cursed under his breath. He had left too soon before they could introduce themselves to him, but he didn't mind. Ichiro thought for a while, before saying, "Sakura. Is she the girl with the pink hair?" Tsunade nodded grimly and said, "Be wary of her. She likes you." He scowled and shook his head. "I'm here for a mission, not a dating session, Tsunade," he growled.

"I know, I know. But take some time to know them, at least, before you leave."

"Alright, fine. Just this once," said Ichiro, with much reluctance in his voice.

Tsunade smiled. "Good. Now go forth, and mingle."

Ichiro sighed, and disappeared without a word, as usual.

Shizune didn't like him much, though. "Tsunade-sama, why is he so casual around you? He even forgot to say goodbye without leaving," she said, with an obvious frown on her face. Tsunade looked at her young assistant and said, "It's a long story, Shizune. He was like a son to me. I took care of him for a while, but had to leave to come here. I trained him, as well. So now, he's coming here to repay my kindness." Tsunade laughed and continued, "Many people don't like him for his attitude. But they just can't resist his looks, now can they? Do I see you blushing?" Shizune immediately looked down as soon as she realized that she was indeed turning red at the thought of Ichiro. "He's probably younger than me, Tsunade-sama!"

"Oh, you were considering him, I see," mocked Tsunade with a smirk on her face. Shizune opened her eyes wide in shock and said, "Please, Tsunade-sama. He may be good-looking and all, but he's definitely not my type. And, he's very much like Sasuke-kun."

"So you actually liked Sasuke? I knew it!"

* * *

Ino looked down at the still river from the bridge, staring down at her own reflection. She couldn't help but to marvel at how Sakura had so easily fallen for Takahashi Ichiro, but at the same time, she figured that Ichiro had his reasons for being so cold. Maybe it was just Sakura that scared him away, not her. "Why am I even bothering?" she muttered to herself. "That guy has issues."

"Issues, you say?" said Ichiro, as soon as he appeared behind Ino. "What issues?" Ino could sense playfulness in Ichiro's voice, something she didn't expect. She turned around and faced him with a dark look on her face. "You just disappeared on us, what do you think?" she retorted, feeling slightly annoyed at the sight of him. "Okay," he said, "I admit, I was a bit rude." _A bit, _thought Ino with much contempt. _That was a bit? _"But I'm here to say sorry, okay? Don't make a fuss over this little issue."

"You have issues, and you know it," said Ino with finality in her voice, although she sounded as if she was teasing him instead of scolding him. Ichiro, however, took it well. "Of course I do. Don't you?" he replied, edging towards her. "I can tell you don't go for guys like your friend does, Ino. And you probably know my name now, right?" Ino bit her lower lip and turned away from him. "You're like those irritating little boys that think they're so cool and all, and try to put on an act in front of girls."

"Ino," drawled Ichiro, "I'm _seventeen_ years old."

"So what?"

"So I can't possibly be a boy," he replied, with a condescending smirk on his face. "I won't argue anyway. It's a total waste of my time."

Ino turned around and said, "Stop being so defiant, okay? It's annoying me. Only an idiot would like you."

Ichiro's smirk immediately faded at the word 'defiant'. It reminded him of a wild horse, and he didn't like being described as a wild horse at all. He looked at her with a questioning look and said, "So Sakura's an idiot? I don't really care whether I'm defiant or not, Yamanaka. I'm not a horse that is supposed to be broken in." Ino rolled her eyes and said, "It's your life."

"You're right," he said, seething with anger. "It is." With that, he disappeared.

_What a coward, _she thought, _running away from an argument just like that._

Ichiro appeared on the other side of the field and stared at Ino quietly. He hated to argue with people, but she was bent on pissing him off. He finally decided that he could never possibly become good friends with her, let alone be a teammate at all. _It was probably my fault… but I can choose not to care, anyway. She's nothing special. She can't just scream at me like that. Whatever, _he mused. _She'll never understand me. _Turning back to the trees, Ichiro disappeared and appeared back in his apartment. He flopped onto his bed and slowly drifted off to dreamland.

* * *

"WHAT? You talked to him?!"

"Yeah," replied Ino, tearing bits of paper off a notebook. She then grabbed a pen and began to scribble something on the paper while staring at the window. "He's the worst guy I have ever met."

Sakura stared at her best friend in shock. "And you screamed at him?"

"Was I wrong? He was so damned rude."

"Oh, Ino… I wish you were like what you were four years ago. Maybe you would have been on better terms with him that way."

"Things change, Sakura. People change."

Sakura frowned and realized that her chance at Ichiro was probably over. She sighed and sat down on the couch next to Ino. "Okay. Maybe he isn't perfect at all," she said, trying to calm Ino down a little. "You bet he isn't," replied Ino, gazing absently at her torn notebook. To her surprise, she had written down Ichiro's name on the paper. She sighed. _What, now I'm supposed to be obsessed over that asshole?_

Ino shook off the thought and decided to calm down. _Maybe he'll be better tomorrow. Guys do have mood swings, right?_

* * *

**A/N: **Phew. Chapter Two coming soon; I think Ino and Ichiro's relationship will get better as the chapters come. They're supposed to hate each other for now. You know, those clichéd stuff you read in love stories or something. Yeah. Heck with it.


	2. Painful

Possible

Possible

Chapter Two: Painful

**Author's Note: **I'm gonna love writing this!

* * *

_Faster!_

_Harder!_

_Stronger!_

Ichiro felt the extra boost of power within him and continued unleashing his super-strength punches on every tree he saw. With amazing speed, Ichiro had destroyed over thirty trees in fifteen minutes. He was training his hands, as usual, like how Tsunade had trained him many years before. His fists didn't hurt one bit, though, due to his former sensei's harsh training. Still, he was grateful towards her concern many years back. Without her, he thought, he'd be somewhere else begging on the streets, frail and weak. Upon crushing the last tree for the day, Ichiro grabbed his weights and put them back on his legs. They didn't feel heavy, as the first time he had put them on. He made his way back from the forests towards Konoha, while carrying a few scrolls he had used a few hours earlier. It was in the early hours of the morning, a time where everyone in the village would be sleeping soundly, except for him. It was already part of his every day life to wake up as early as possible to train his fists and jutsu, but also a fair distance away from the village, lest he woke up the whole village.

He walked along the streets silently, staring down at his own feet. He had a strange habit of doing that every time he walked slowly, as if he was so interested in his own feet. Ichiro looked up and noticed that the Yamanaka Flower Shop was already open. He frowned and wondered if it wasn't the Yamanaka family, but a thief. The lights were off, but the door was wide open. He slowly walked inside and looked around. It was pitch black, but he could sense things better than seeing. There was slight movement in the storage room, he sensed. Suddenly, someone crashed into him and he immediately grabbed him by the waist, causing the stranger to drop the box that he was holding. "Hey!" yelled not a man, but the shrill voice of Yamanaka Ino. "Let me go!" Ichiro immediately let go and stumbled backwards, surprised at Ino's strength in pushing him away. She turned on the lights and realized that it was Ichiro. Her face grew dark as she shouted, "What the hell are you doing here, grabbing people like that?!"

"I assumed there was a thief," he said calmly.

Ino scowled. "Maybe it was you that was the thief!" she accused. Ichiro grimaced and said, "I may need some attitude adjustment, but I am definitely not a thief, thank you very much. I'm not the least bit interested in stealing flowers from your shop." Ino glared at him, lost for words. "You're lucky my parents aren't home yet," she hissed. "Get out of here!" Ichiro sighed and left without a word. He realized that he was indeed forming a habit of leaving without a goodbye, let alone a word, but he couldn't be bothered to attempt to change his ways, anyway.

A few hours later, Ichiro soon returned to the streets for some breakfast. After a few minutes of walking around, Ichiro finally decided to stop by Ichiraku's Ramen. As soon as he sat down, the blonde next to him yelled, "Hey, old man, give me the usual!" Ichiro swore he could have gone deaf if the guy was any louder. "Okay, okay," answered the man in the back, "Just don't shout like that, Naruto. You're gonna give me a heart attack one day!" Naruto grinned and looked at Ichiro, who in return, gave him a nod. "Hey… I haven't seen you around before," said Naruto, staring at Ichiro. He looked at Naruto and shrugged. "It's rude to stare, Naruto-kun," he said. "Judging by your attire, I guess I'm your replacement for your friend Sai." Naruto's eyes widened and exclaimed, "Oh! So you're the new guy!" Ichiro scowled softly. He didn't like being called a 'new guy'. He was probably far more experienced than this Naruto could ever be. "Welcome to the team!" said Naruto, extending out his hand. Ichiro took it silently and shook hands with Naruto.

"Hey, old man, one more bowl please!" yelled Naruto again, his voice soon getting on Ichiro's nerves. After the old man emerged from the kitchen with two steaming bowls of ramen, he placed them down in front of Ichiro and Naruto. Ichiro reached for his money, but Naruto was one step ahead of him. "It's my treat today," said Naruto, grinning at Ichiro.

"Thanks, I guess," replied Ichiro, who had started to eat his ramen.

"So, what's your name?" asked Naruto. Ichiro looked at Naruto and realized that he had forgotten to introduce himself, again. "I'm Takahashi Ichiro," he said.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Ichiro!"

* * *

Ichiro stared solemnly out the window of his apartment room, looking down at all of the villagers walking in all directions, doing their grocery shopping. Needless to say, Ichiro was bored to death. Until Team Kakashi's next assignment, he practically had nothing to do here. As he scanned the crowd silently, he spotted a familiar blonde kunoichi, who looked up at him from her flower shop down below. They didn't wave or anything; there was just a strange, undisturbed look on her face. She looked as if she wanted to say something to him, but nothing came out from her lips. Ichiro gave a soft 'hn' before returning to his bed. Ino sighed and returned to work. "What has Sakura seen in that guy?" she mumbled to herself. Before long, Sakura appeared and stopped by the Yamanaka Flower Shop. "Hey Ino," she said. "How's it going with Ichiro?"

"There's nothing going on between us, and besides, you like him," said Ino flatly. "He's a jerk, though. I wonder why you even like him. I'm guessing it's his looks, isn't it?" Sakura shrugged and said, "Look, you can't deny that he does have charm in an odd manner. But he's like Sasuke, right? He's as good as Sasuke, so I can't expect any dating with that guy." Ino scoffed loudly and asked, "So you're still up for Sasuke?"

"As always," said Sakura proudly. Ino smiled and shook her head. It's been so long since Sasuke was in Konoha. Ino's feelings for the Uchiha disappeared when he left Konoha. Amazingly, Sakura still liked Sasuke, even though he may be on the other side of the world by now, searching for power to kill his older brother, Uchiha Itachi. "So, have you been speaking to Ichiro lately?" asked Sakura curiously. "Why the sudden question?" questioned Ino, staring at her pink-haired comrade. Sakura shrugged and walked around the flower shop for a while before saying, "I think you two make a cute couple." Ino could have fainted from hearing that. "Haruno Sakura, I swear to God… I'll never ever set my eyes on him, ever! He's such a jerk, like Sai and Sasuke joined together!" she spat, feeling annoyed at the thought of Takahashi Ichiro.

Sakura smiled at her friend's words and said, "Hate gradually becomes love, Ino. You won't know."

"Whatever," said Ino, "he'll probably get a girlfriend easily with his looks."

"Oh," said Sakura, deciding to leave the conversation at that point. "Okay, I'll be going now. I'm going to be late for Tsunade's training if I hang around any longer. Bye." With that, Sakura left the flower shop. Ino sat at the counter and sighed to herself. Business has been poor lately; it was as if no one was interested in buying flowers anymore. Ino wished that there was a mission for Shikamaru, Chouji and herself to take. Unfortunately, Shikamaru and Chouji were chosen to guard an important figure for a period of three months; Ino wasn't selected because she had other assignments to handle from Tsunade, and they would return during winter, so she was practically alone for the next three months. She looked around the flower shop and grimaced at its emptiness. With a sigh, Ino decided to take a break, as she predicted that there wouldn't be any customers until the next Valentine's Day. She strutted out of the flower shop and locked the door to it. Ino went around Konoha leisurely, while window shopping. "Hey, Ino!" yelled Naruto from behind her. He ran up to her and grinned. "Did you meet the new guy yet? I think his name was Ichiro!"

She sighed. Why does he always appear one way or another? "Yeah, I did," she replied with a smug look on her face. Naruto chuckled and said, "You know, he reminds me of Sai and Sasuke." Ino couldn't help but to smile a little at that. "Yeah, he does," she muttered, while Naruto continued droning on about the similarities between Ichiro, Sai and Sasuke. As soon as he finished, Naruto finally said, "Don't you agree?"

Ino laughed and said, "Okay, I can't say no to all that. But you know… he can be a jerk most of the time."

"Which reminds us of Sasuke!" said Naruto with a wide smile on his face. Ino knew that reminding Naruto or Sakura about Sasuke would hurt them deeply, since it has been so long since he left, but she had never seen the two of them talking about Sasuke so easily when it came to Ichiro. Perhaps the guy would make a difference somehow, even if he was a total idiot sometimes. "Oh, the memories," she said jokingly. "I wouldn't be surprised if he left anytime soon." Naruto's face suddenly grew serious. "You're not serious, are you?" he asked curiously, like a small child that didn't believe his parent, but tried to confirm what his parent had just said. Ino shrugged.

"I don't believe so. He's part of Konoha."

"I'm glad you see it that way!" exclaimed Naruto. "I think we've earned another interesting friend."

The more Ino thought about it, the more she seemed to agree with Naruto. Her anger directed towards Ichiro seemed to fade gradually, the more the energetic blonde spoke about him. Ino didn't seem to think of him as someone who needed attitude adjustment anymore; she saw someone who was like Sasuke, and someone that had his reasons for almost everything. _Just like any other perfect man, _she thought happily to herself. Suddenly, realization dawned upon her. _Wait a minute. Did I just call him perfect? _Ino shook the thought off and shuddered. Until she sees his good side, she won't lose control of her feelings THAT easily.

* * *

That night, Ichiro spent time at the bridge, where he had his first fight with Ino. _First fight, huh? I recall myself being one who discards these moments with ease. This definitely isn't me, _he mused with clarity to himself, _but she's quite the charmer, I guess. _He looked down at the river and down at his own reflection. What the water reflected wasn't what any other normal person would see. Other people would see themselves staring back at themselves, but Ichiro saw someone with a serious problem. He knew Ino was right; that he was a jerk and a total asshole, but nobody understood his reasons for being so. The torture he went through when he was a young boy was just unbearable to recall. Ichiro became distant towards other people, and usually provoked them to keep them away from him, just to protect them and to prevent them from getting hurt because of him. As a kid, Ichiro had seen much violence. That was when Tsunade 'adopted' him as her apprentice and trained him to defend himself. Ichiro took her seriously, and she was probably the only person he ever cared about.

Ino found him at the bridge and unknowingly invaded his mirage of thoughts. "Hey, stranger," she said, stopping next to him. Ichiro looked up from the river beneath them and turned his head towards her. He remained silent, but gave her an understanding nod which meant 'hello'. Ino furrowed her brows. "What's with you and keeping so quiet?" she asked. "If I were you, I couldn't stand this kind of solitude." Ichiro looked at her again and sighed. "What is it with you and being so friendly all of a sudden?" he retorted, not sure of whether he was trying to force her away or wanting to speak to her more. He just felt different around this girl. "I don't know. It's called being _human_," she replied cheekily. Ichiro noticed the change in her attitude and took it lightly. "Whatever," he replied flatly.

"So tell me more about yourself."

"What happened to the fierce kunoichi who almost beat me up this morning?" teased Ichiro, slightly surprised that he even knew _how _to tease someone. Ino shrugged and said, "Gone."

Ichiro's expression remained empty as ever as he said, "Well, I'm Takahashi Ichiro, and I'm your new comrade."

Ino couldn't help but to giggle at his reply. "You're _so _blunt." The corner of Ichiro's lips twitched in annoyance. He never knew anyone who had the courage to say that to a fearsome shinobi as him. "Right, you have a point, being that sharp," Ichiro said, glancing at Ino, hoping to see another peculiar reaction. She smiled at him and ran her hand through her own long hair and asked, "So… what's wrong?"

"Huh?" he said in bewilderment.

"What's with the cold front all this while?" she continued, desperately hoping Ichiro had a perfectly good reason. Ichiro shrugged and said, "Life." Ino frowned and tried to guess, "Something bad from the past?" Ichiro couldn't resist nodding. He scolded himself inside his head for his own foolishness. _Don't let her in on your life, _he told himself. _It's a nuisance. _Ino's face changed from a disappointed one to an understanding one. Was that sympathy Ichiro saw in her eyes? Or was sarcasm in her eyes, making fun of him for going through what he had seven years ago? "I wouldn't want to probe any further if I were you," he warned. Ino's bright blue eyes stared right into his, and before Ichiro knew it, he realized that he was turning slightly pink. Thanks to the night time, Ino didn't notice a thing. "Oh, alright then," she said.

There was a long pause before Ino suddenly let the question escape from her lips.

"Was it painful?"

Ichiro knew what she meant. She wanted to know if his past was painful.

He nodded, and replied, "Haunting, even." Ino nodded slowly. "Oh," was all she could say. "I guess that explains everything." Ichiro looked back down at his own reflection and said, "Yeah, guess so. You could say that."

* * *

**A/N: **Chapter two, finished! So now I'm like publishing two chapters at one time. But I have exams coming up, so I don't know if I'll update as regularly as this one. Enjoy! Read and review!


	3. Mission for Two

* * *

Possible

Possible

Chapter Three: Mission for Two

**Author's Note: **Hehe, is all I can say.

* * *

"Tsunade-sama, we have just received reports on Akatsuki activity Rain Country," said Shizune, laying down a report in front of the Godaime Hokage. Tsunade took the file and opened it. As always, Yamato was a reliable man to trust, so Tsunade chose him for scouting missions to the Rain Village and other countries to keep an eye on the enemy, so as to be constantly prepared for an attack. "It seems that they are planning something huge this time, Hokage-sama," Yamato said, removing his ANBU mask and setting it upon the table.

After reading the file, Tsunade lowered it, revealing a dark expression on her face. Yamato sensed her worry, and said, "Do you need a squad to go over and check on the situation?" Tsunade nodded her head, but said, "Not just any team. The Akatsuki can easily recognize Sakura, Kakashi or Naruto. I'll be sending only two shinobi this time." Yamato frowned and said, "Wouldn't it be better to rely on Team Kakashi rather than other shinobi who do not understand the Akatsuki's power?" Tsunade thought about it for a moment before saying, "They're after Naruto and the Kyuubi. It's dangerous; what's more, we only need to spy on them for a while before returning to Konoha to give us a full report. I'm sending in two shinobi that they do not know at all. That will give us the upper hand." Yamato seemed to understand Tsunade's plan and said, "Very well, Tsunade-sama. I will see—" The blonde Hokage raised her hand in silence.

She looked down at the files of the two shinobi she had already chosen in advance and said, "Don't bother. I've got two people in my mind already."

She opened the files, revealing the faces of Yamanaka Ino and Takahashi Ichiro to Yamato. He narrowed his eyes upon seeing that Ino was Tsunade's choice of shinobi. There were far more powerful and skilled shinobi than that mediocre Yamanaka! "Tsunade-sama, I don't think sending her will be a good idea—" Tsunade, yet again, raised her hand.

"I'm sure they'll succeed. I have complete faith in them," she said with finality in her voice. Her stony glare was a sign for Yamato to leave, and to say nothing more. Yamato sighed and saluted before saying, "I understand." Right after he disappeared, Shizune was the next one to speak. "Are you certain Ino is up for the job with your student?" she asked, her voice laced with concern and worry. "She has only encountered the Akatsuki once."

"And that was only a year ago," admitted Tsunade. "But Sakura is quite busy with Team Kakashi, and there is no other suitable medic nin that I can send to assist Ichiro. She won't be doing most of the fighting – if there ever is – but she'll be there to heal Ichiro if any injuries are dealt to him." Shizune nodded and decided that Tsunade knew best on what to do now, for the Akatsuki were moving fast into their grand plan: to create the ultimate weapon for world domination. _Every single shinobi is now vital to the Hokage._ "Besides," Tsunade added, "She is as good as Sakura now. She'll be able to heal the most severe of injuries, giving Ichiro yet another good advantage over the Akatsuki." Shizune soon broke into a small smile. She knew that her sensei was capable, but she didn't imagine her to be so tactful and strategic in every move she makes. _That's what makes a powerful Hokage. _

"Shizune," said Tsunade suddenly, looking up at her student. "Summon Ichiro and Ino here immediately. They're leaving in three days." Shizune seemed shocked at the short amount of time they have left in Konoha before leaving for the Rain Village, but she didn't say anything, unless she wanted to piss the Godaime off. She nodded and left the office. Shizune disappeared halfway while descending the stairs and appeared inside the Yamanaka Flower Shop, surprising Ino. "Shizune-chan!" she yelped, jumping in her seat. "What's with the surprise visit?" Shizune looked towards the counter and replied, "Tsunade-sama has a mission for you and Ichiro-kun." Ino sat upright with a wide smile on her face. _Finally, something to keep me busy!_

Shizune was slightly dumbfounded when she saw Ino's face light up like a Christmas tree at the mention of a new mission. Ino got off her seat from the counter and said, "Okay, I'll go get Ichiro. Tell Tsunade I'll be there in a quick moment." Shizune had nothing more to say, so she merely nodded and disappeared. Ino checked herself in the mirror in the back room before leaving the flower shop. Halfway, it had suddenly crept upon her that she had just tried to make herself look better before going to see _Ichiro_. "This vanity is so getting on my nerves," she murmured to herself, being one that hasn't been too conscious of her looks for any person since Sasuke's departure. The walk towards Ichiro's apartment was only a mere ten minute walk. Ino recalled seeing him on the third floor of the apartment building, staring at her from his window. Before she even got to start guessing which one was his apartment, Ichiro opened the door and walked out of his place. "Takahashi!" yelled Ino, slightly flustered. Ichiro raised his eyebrows and asked, "Yes, Yamanaka?" Ino's hard glare softened into a face that spelt "I was only kidding". "How come you never told me where you lived?"

"I assumed you knew," he replied dryly, scratching his head. Ino shook her head and laughed. "Well, next time, let's exchange information about ourselves when you're _completely sure _you can tell me something in return. So far, you've either guessed correctly, or come into my place by chance!" she said with a huge smile. Ichiro smirked, for the first time in a long time, and said, "I gather this isn't the only reason why you're here?"

"Oh, yeah," Ino said, turning red. She had almost forgotten the mission before Ichiro had guessed her intentions, _again_. "Tsunade-sama is assigning us a mission, and she wants to see us both," she finished. Ichiro's expression returned to its normal, icy state as he said, "Just the two of us?" Ino shrugged, that becoming an annoying habit once in a while. "Shizune told me to inform only you. If there was anyone else, she would have told me." Ichiro sighed. What was Tsunade up to now? "Alright, let's go, before she starts making a fuss," Ichiro said.

* * *

There was a distinct knock on the door as Tsunade looked up from the map that was laid before her. "Come in," she said, marking their destination as they came into the office. Before anyone said anything, Ichiro growled, "Do you mind explaining why there are only two people for this mission?" Tsunade looked up at Ichiro and Ino with a serious expression on her face as she said, "I'll explain it later. But right now, you need to know your mission." She stood up and turned to the window behind her and looked out over Konoha. "As both of you know, the Akatsuki is on the move again. This time, heavy activities were detected by Yamato in the Rain Village, and we believe that that village is the base of their operations. I need the both of you to spy on them for a period of time, picking up any useful information you may find along the way. The reason why I'm sending only the both of you is because the Akatsuki have already started to expect Naruto's team to infiltrate the village, and they will be planning a trap to capture Naruto. Even though Team Kakashi may understand the Akatsuki's power, the organization does not recognize you two," she explained in a strong tone that meant business. Ichiro considered the situation for a while before asking, "Then what about Ino?"

The blonde kunoichi looked at her teammate and wondered: was there concern hidden behind his expressionless voice? Or was it a hint that he decided that if she had gone, she would be a great burden to him? Before Tsunade could explain, however, Ino cut in herself. "I think I'm very capable in handling this mission with you, Takahashi," she said with her usual, teasing tone, "And besides, someone needs a doctor once in a while." Ichiro sighed, finding no end to Ino's witty answers and the pure logic that she and Tsunade probably had seen in this arrangement. "Alright, alright, but if you get hurt, I'm not a medic ninja like you are." _Another bingo! He's figured me out already, _Ino screamed inside her head. _I should really get to know him, one way or another. _"I guess Ichiro will be the leader, then," announced Tsunade. "Ino will be under your care now, as her combat skills are nowhere as good as her medical skills."

Ichiro scoffed. "You make it sound as if I'm babysitting Ino," he grumbled. Ino giggled at his reaction and noticed a slight change in him since last night. Tsunade smiled as well and said, "Okay, enough of all this nonsense. You'll be leaving in three days time. These days are for you to equip yourselves in the way that you see fit. I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at the Eastern Gate at nine in the morning. Dismissed." The two saluted and left the Hokage's Office immediately without a word. Ino looked at Ichiro and said, "Have you ever been to the Rain Village?" The brunette nodded, and said, "I think that was before the Akatsuki moved in. I remember it constantly rained day and night. It was just a visit though, with Tsunade and Jiraiya. We stayed there for a while." Ino was surprised to know that Ichiro had traveled to many places throughout his life, and he was only seventeen! "So I'm guessing… you have a lot of experience?"

He opened the door for her and answered, "Maybe."

"Tch, stop being so secretive!" she complained. Ichiro couldn't help but to shoot her a smirk and say, "Stop intruding on my secrecy, then." Ino sighed and slapped her forehead; there was nothing she could do about this guy. Soon, they had decided on lunch first, before heading their separate ways. They stopped by Ichiraku's Ramen, and soon, halfway through eating their hot ramen, Ino initiated another conversation. Ichiro knew that she wanted to know him just as much as he knew her, but he wouldn't let her in anyway. She could try, and maybe even explode in frustration one day, but Takahashi Ichiro had already decided many years back that he'd lock himself up and throw the key away. He purposely ignored her endless questions by finding the ramen miso soup as an excuse, and he slowly drained the bowl while Ino kept attacking him with personal questions.

As soon as he finished, he looked at her with a ominous stare and said, "You're pretty persistent." Ino smiled triumphantly and drawled, "I know I am." As soon as Ino saw his shifty eyes, she knew that he was going to ditch her in the middle of their lunch. She grabbed his hand tightly and said, "Oh, you're not going anywhere before I'm done with my ramen!" Teuchi, the owner of Ichiraku Ramen, smiled warmly at their actions. "Ah, a couple in love," he said. "When I was your age, I dated my wife like the both of you! Always bickeri—" Ichiro nearly fell out of his seat when Teuchi assumed that they were dating. "No, it's – we're not actually dating – I mean, we're just friends," he said after much struggling with his words. "Nope," argued Teuchi. "That doesn't explain your nervousness." He winked at Ino and said, "Keep the guy. He's the kinda guy any girl would fall for." Ino turned a deep shade of red and said, "He really means it – we're just friends!"

Teuchi laughed heartily and said, "Normally, when friends argue, they're _bound _to fall in love!"

Ichiro grimaced. _Oh please, I hate that clichéd stuff._

* * *

The three days passed as if it were one, and soon, Ichiro and Ino found themselves standing in front of the Eastern Gate, awaiting Tsunade's appearance. Ino had spent the last three days stocking up on medical supplies for almost every kind of injury, while Ichiro had bought several more kunai and trained his taijutsu and ninjutsu during the three-day-wait. Soon, Tsunade arrived and said, "You're early." Ichiro turned his head to Tsunade and said, "As usual."

"Alright, are we ready to go?" she asked. Ichiro and Ino nodded. "Good. But first, I'd give you a few tips. The Akatsuki are not to be dealt with lightly, as both of you know. You may even find yourselves facing their leader."

"We understand," answered Ichiro. "I'll protect Ino with my life." Tsunade smiled at that sentence. Ino almost let a loud gasp escape her lips, but managed to suppress it. _With his life…? It's not even a mission to protect me, and he's talking as if I'm somebody who needs severe protection from some dangerous killer or something, _thought Ino to herself. Although she couldn't believe what Ichiro had just said, she still liked the idea of being protected by a strong shinobi, especially a guy like Takahashi Ichiro.

"Ino?" called Ichiro, staring at his teammate who was evidently somewhere off in her own world. "Ino!"

The blonde kunoichi snapped out of her train of thoughts and said, "O-Oh, um, let's go!"

* * *

**A/N: **Whoa, I'm really rushing like the wind now! Three chapters in two days!


	4. Feelings

Possible

Possible

Chapter Four: Feelings

**Author's Note: **

_Thoughts_

**"Demon"**

"Speech"

* * *

It had already been five days since they had started traveling.

"Ino," mumbled Ichiro absently as he slept, while tossing and turning. Ino looked at him quietly, wondering if it was only a nightmare, or was it really Ichiro calling out for her. She felt like whispering back a reply, but suddenly, Ichiro opened his eyes and sat bolt upright. His eyes scanned the surroundings and fell upon Ino. Silently, he smiled weakly at the blonde and lay back down. "Was it a nightmare?" she suddenly asked, breaking the silence. Ichiro didn't answer, but Ino already knew what it was anyway. "You don't have to worry too much about me," said Ino with a warm smile on her face. "I can take care of myself and you as well." Ichiro looked her in the eyes and forced another smile on his face. "I know," he said quietly. "I don't worry too much about these nightmares anyway," he lied through his teeth. In reality, Ichiro had a tendency of dreaming of strange scenarios, which unfortunately, had come true sooner or later. He feared for Ino's life, like he had never done before. Ichiro never cared for any other person other than Tsunade, but the appearance of this kunoichi changed him inside out. "It's almost morning, shall we make a move?" she suggested. Ichiro looked up at the sky and realized that it was almost dawn, so he sat up again and nodded. "Okay, let's pack up."

It took them a while to pack up, as Ichiro had probably figured that he talked in his sleep, and in one way or another, led Ino to guessing that he had a nightmare about her. "Did I talk in my sleep?" he asked, somehow almost childishly in fact. Ino stopped packing and turned to him. Their faces were inches away from a kiss, but Ino extended her hand to his face and lightly caressed it and merely replied soothingly, "You really don't have to worry. Everyone mumbles in their sleep. And everyone has nightmares once in a while, right?" Ichiro felt slight reassurance, for his fear of his nightmare coming to life was growing rapidly. He instantly felt much more attached and obliged to protect Ino more than he had ever protected anyone else in his entire life. "I won't let these… nightmares become real," he suddenly added, in a sort of trance-like state. Ino looked up at him again and asked, "Real?" Ichiro frowned and looked away. "It was nothing; just a nightmare, right?" Ichiro muttered, not sure whether it was for Ino or himself to hear. Ino, being slightly clueless, shrugged, and continued packing up. They had already started to travel when the sun came out. Ichiro and Ino stopped by a nearby village to restock up on supplies for the remainder of the journey.

"How long is the Rain Country from here?" asked Ino, directing the question to the shopkeeper rather than Ichiro. She had felt distinctively that Ichiro wanted to avoid any other conversation with her from that morning onwards, perhaps showing his embarrassment for worrying over a meaningless nightmare.

Then again, Ichiro had never looked so scared in his life. "Rain Country eh, I don't know why you wanna go there, but it's only another two days away if you keep going on without resting halfway. If you include the rest, though, it'll take four," replied the shopkeeper. Ino gave him a grateful smile and said, "Thank you," before moving out with Ichiro again. They could already see the dark clouds in the distance, but from here, they were only a light shade of grey. Ichiro knew better, though. Once they approached the Rain Village, the clouds won't be as grey as before. They'd be either dark grey, or completely black. It was a depressing sight to behold, recalled Ichiro.

The walk lasted quite a while before the two encountered trouble along the route. Three bandits jumped out, holding kunai in their hands. They were from the Rain Village, but Ichiro was sure the Akatsuki never knew of their presence. They were probably three useless thugs who rob travelers. "Hand over your valuables, or else it's your life!" growled one of the bandits, being the leader. Ichiro assumed that they thought that he and Ino were only travelers, because of the lack of equipment.

All this while, Ichiro had only carried one kunai on him. The rest of his weapons were his fists. "I'd prefer if you get out of our way," hissed Ichiro. "I hate wasting time on you bandits." Ino could only watch as the three bandits charged towards Ichiro. He fought with much energy and in a matter of minutes; he had already taken out one of the bandits. The bandit leader spotted Ino and decided to use her against him. He jumped towards Ino and was about the grab her before Ichiro's clone appeared and knocked him aside. "Suiron no Jutsu!" yelled Ichiro, trapping both bandits in a water prison. The two bandits disappeared, leaving logs behind as their replacement. They appeared behind Ino and grabbed her. "They're shinobi from Konoha," said one of the two. Ichiro glared angrily at the bandits, who were both holding a kunai to Ino's neck. Her hands were forced behind her, putting her in a tight spot, as she could not use the Replacement Technique. "I don't care whether they're shinobi from Konoha or the Hokage himself!"

"Let her go, now," snarled Ichiro, with a voice that was even deadlier than anyone else Ino had ever heard. The bandit leader smiled and said, "I don't think so." Ino suddenly lifted her left foot backwards with such force that it kicked directly between the bandit leader's legs. He yelped out in pain and immediately let go of her. Ichiro advanced towards the leader and grabbed him by the neck. The brunette punched him with a fist that felt like it was made of steel and he immediately got knocked out cold. Turning around, the remaining bandit spotted the anger in his eyes and immediately ran away, knowing better than to mess with such a strong shinobi. He looked at Ino and asked, "Are you okay?"

She rubbed her arms and said, "Yeah. I'm fine." They knew that it was the only conversation they had since that morning, but couldn't find anything else to talk about. Ino didn't know why she even touched his face, if that even was the problem. _Maybe he didn't like people touching him that much, _she thought to herself. _Wait, it wasn't even that much! _Sensing that Ichiro was keeping quiet because of himself made Ino feel a little less worried. "Hey," she suddenly said. Ichiro blinked in surprise. Did she just start a conversation? "Yeah?" he muttered.

"Are you still going on about that nightmare of yours?" asked Ino.

Ichiro didn't want to tell her, but there was no hiding from this kunoichi. "Well… maybe," he said, slightly unsure.

"You're not telling me something," she said. "Spill it out." It was more of a command than a demand. Ichiro sighed and looked down at his feet again. "I don't know," said Ichiro, scratching his head. "I really have no idea." Ino tilted her head to one side and probed further. "It must be something. You were totally white this morning," she said, moving closer towards him. "No," he said. "I-It's not."

"Stop lying to me," she said, stopping in her tracks. Ichiro stopped too, and looked away from her, as though he had just said a very wrong thing. "Okay, fine, if you insist," he said, staring icily at Ino. "My nightmares aren't just nightmares. They're glimpses – visions, rather – into the future. It _will _happen, one way or another, however hard I try." Ino stared blankly at Ichiro before asking, "Ichiro… what was it about?"

He looked at her straight in the eyes for a moment, before answering. She could tell he was scared. "You die in this mission," Ichiro said. He immediately continued walking. Ino didn't say anything, but a million thoughts were invading her head as she continued walking as well. _Die? I'm going to die in this mission? Is he lying? Maybe it was just him being too worried. But he said they were visions into the future. Surely it can't be as accurate as Shion's? _Ino looked at Ichiro, whose expression had softened into a sort of gentle sadness. _I can't believe I'm going to die. A few more hours and Yamanaka Ino's gone from the face of the earth. Wait! Stop thinking like that! You're a shinobi, and a shinobi never dies THAT easily!_

Inside Ichiro's head, he was debating with himself over and over again.

_She's not going to die._

"**But you had the vision; and your visions always come true," **said something inside of him. It had been with him for almost all his life.

_She can't die now. I won't let her._

"**Stop being naïve. Even a shinobi as skilled as you should know that there is nothing that can be done," **it growled.

_I promised I'd protect her._

"**You promised no one that, you only told the Godaime that you would," **it said.

_Ookami, please…_

The connection broke off, and Ichiro found himself being blocked by Ino. "Is it true?" she asked quietly. Ichiro frowned. "Yes," he replied almost too quietly. Ino sighed. "If what you said will come true… which I'm not sure of," she said, looking up at him, "I can never be too worried… or careful." Ichiro raised his eyebrows and murmured, "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing," she said. "Let's keep moving, shall we?"

Ichiro nodded, but figured that she had something to say to him about his nightmares or visions, rather.

* * *

**A/N: **I have revealed that Ichiro is a Jinchuuriki, with a demon wolf (English for Ookami) inside him. He calls it Ookami, although it has another name though. (In reality, I can't think of one :D) Read and review please!


	5. The Rain Village

Possible

Possible

Chapter Five: Rain Village

**Author's Note: **I changed chapter four a little: I don't want any fluff yet, until the last minute (if you know what I mean). The Bijuu will be revealed in chapter six or seven (hopefully). Enjoy! Thank you fruitpunch123451 for the first two reviews :D you have definitely spurred me on to continue this story :D!

* * *

After three days of silent and undisturbed traveling, the two finally made it to the Rain Village. "Wait," said Ichiro, being the first word in the last few days, he looked at Ino whether she had realized he had spoken. Ino looked at him with a blank look, waiting for what he was about to say. "Let's take off our Leaf headbands. That way, no one will know we're here for _more _than just touring the world." Ino nodded and removed her forehead protector that was previously tied round her left arm. Why she never wore it on her forehead – well, that _is_ the primary function of it – but on her arm instead, left Ichiro somewhat confused. As soon as they made themselves look much more like traveling traders, they approached the enormous – but not as large as Konoha's – gate.

They were stopped by the two guards, who narrowed their eyes at them suspiciously. "State your business here," growled the first guard, who had multiple scars on his face, which made him look rather fearsome. Ichiro smiled brightly (something that Ino had never seen on his face before) at the guard and said with a voice that didn't seem to belong to the cold, solitary Takahashi Ichiro, "We're both traders from the Stone Country and we thought we'd visit the Nations. Something like a holiday, is it not?" Ino had to stifle her laughter when Ichiro seemed to stone in front of the guard, with that fake smile of his. "Oh, alright, then," said the younger of the two guards. "Enjoy your stay."

Ichiro and Ino bowed with some sort of respect, and made their way into the village. As soon as they were about ten feet away from the guards, Ichiro's smile immediately disappeared. Ino couldn't help but to giggle. "I liked you that way," she commented. Ichiro looked at her and asked, "What way?" The blonde smiled widely at him and said, "This way!" Ichiro rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's called acting," he reminded her shrewdly. "Let's get a place first, before we start looking around." They headed towards a nearby inn that looked homely enough for them. Ichiro got a room for two and they went up to the second floor. After getting ready, the two headed back outside.

As expected, there was a slight drizzle, but the both of them knew that it would get heavier soon.

"So… where do we start?" asked Ino, looking around the streets. Everyone acted normally, and went along with their daily activities, but deep inside, somewhere, the Akatsuki may be watching, lurking in the dark shadows of the streets. The Rain Village probably never saw the sun once, unless they traveled out of its boundaries. "I don't know. Let's ask around for a little background information," suggested Ichiro, and the both of them made their way towards the nearest store.

As soon as they entered it, the shopkeeper looked up at them and eyed them suspiciously. Ichiro approached the counter with another one of his fake smiles and asked, "Excuse me, but do you mind telling us who's the leader of your village?" The shopkeeper, sensing no threat from these two strangers, flatly answered, "We don't really have a Kage, y'know? But the building that has the tallest tower holds our leaders inside. We don't really see 'em that much though, so this village is practically clueless about who's leading who." Ichiro nodded and said, "Thank you." He looked at Ino and nodded silently, and the two of them left the store. "Now we have a rough idea of where they are, we need to get out of the rain, fast," he muttered. The two quickly checked around the village, and found a dark and domineering building in the eastern part of the rainy village. "Is that it?" whispered Ino. Ichiro seemed to think so. "Come on. Let's try finding a way in before we do anything first."

The two approached the building and looked around it for a moment, before attempting to push open the door. From a distance, a blonde Akatsuki member scanned their movements silently, making sure that he didn't move in case they noticed him. His right blue eye narrowed when the two had left right after realizing that the door could be opened. "Maybe they were just curious, un," said Deidara, following their every movement. They seemed to be saying some things to each other, but Deidara couldn't be bothered to worry over a couple of traders that were too curious for their own good. "Besides," he murmured with a smirk, "curiosity will eventually kill the cat, un."

"So… we're going to go inside that building tomorrow?" said Ino.

"Yeah, but I got a bad feeling about this mission." Ichiro seemed to be in his own world.

"Don't worry about the Akatsuki. I bet for a guy like you, they'll be no match for you," drawled Ino with a smile.

Ichiro shook his head in doubt. "I don't think so," he replied simply. Ino slapped him on his shoulder jokingly and said, "Stop being modest!"

* * *

They spent the night's dinner at a ramen bar, but it wasn't as good as Ichiraku Ramen. Ichiro ate silently, while Ino seemed to be deep in thought. Ichiro noticed her untouched meal and asked, "What's wrong?" Ino seemed to snap out of her current daze, and stared at Ichiro. "What? Oh, it was nothing," she replied. She started to eat her ramen quickly, as it had already turned slightly lukewarm. _She must be thinking of my nightmare again. I'd tell her not to worry… but she won't listen anyway. _After dinner, Ichiro and Ino went straight back to their inn to prepare their equipment for the tomorrow night.

"We're just going to check out the place for the Akatsuki, and just hopefully what they're planning, right?" asked Ino.

Ichiro nodded. "Why?" Ino shrugged. "If its just investigations we're conducting, why do you need so many weapons? We're not going to war, right?"

He frowned. _Can't I worry over you? _Ino seemed to read his mind. She forced a laugh and exclaimed, "You don't have to worry about that, alright? I'm not a shinobi for nothing! I can protect myself!" Ichiro's expression didn't change. "Unless you underestimate me," she added, with a wink.

"I didn't say that," he replied dryly. _I'm just paranoid, okay? _"You can never be too careful," he said, reciting the words she had said to him a few days ago. Ino sat down on her bed with a loud, exasperated sigh. "Fine, fine," said Ino in defeat. She knew that Ichiro was still raging on the inside about his nightmare, and would leave no precaution out to prevent his so called vision. Even though she didn't believe it, Ichiro was a guy that doesn't seem to be very fazed at times, or distracted, giving her some sort of dilemma over his nightmare. "I know inside that thick skull of yours, you're worrying like a chicken," she teased. Ichiro snorted. "Think what you want," he said, placing his needed items on the table. "I'm trying to be _human_, remember?" Ino smiled at that and shook her head. "Okay, fine," she replied, sort of giving in to this small little argument.

* * *

Late at night, Ichiro was busy conversing with Ookami in his head.

"**Again with the worrying; what is it with you and that girl?" **asked the black, ten-tailed wolf.

_How should I know? I think it's only right that I put my teammates first._

"**You always loved using excuses, even when you were a small boy," **Ookami growled.

_That isn't an excuse, Ookami._

"**But I sense your deep passion over the kunoichi… it's almost making **_**me **_**fall for her as well," **it mocked, in a harmless way.

_Passion? That's a strong word to use…_

"**That's only what I feel in you. We are one, are we not?" **

_I guess. Maybe I do like her. Or maybe it could only be a crush, or infatu—_

"**Not infatuation, nor a crush, never a crush. You are serious in almost everything you do… and I gather you're as serious about falling in love as about this mission," **it cut in. Ichiro could see Ookami hiding a wolfish grin from its container in his sub-consciousness.

_Enough of your teasing, damn it! I'm pretty sure I don't – and won't – like Ino. Besides, after Sai returns, I'll be on my way back. _

"**Oh, back to that useless dump called the Demon Country, eh?" **snarled Ookami, dreading Ichiro's return to that place it hated the most. **"I remember. The place where I was sealed into you that very night, and then right after that you were abandoned. I feel **_**so **_**excited."**

_Look, it's not like I _want _to return or anything, but I don't have a choice. Besides, I don't belong here. My whole life is there, with my sister._

"**Shion? Why would you spend the rest of your life with your god-sister instead of doing what you want for a change?"**

_You know I have to protect her. For a while longer._

"**You've always been the loyal one," **growled Ookami.

_Too loyal, sometimes…_

* * *

"Pein," muttered Konan to her partner. The auburn-haired man turned around and looked questioningly at the female Akatsuki member. "What is it, Konan?" The blue-haired ninja turned her head to Pein and said, "Shinobi from Konoha are here."

"What?" he growled loudly, staring at his partner in disbelief, "They dare to send shinobi under our very noses? The nerve of the Hokage!"

"Yes, it seems too daring. But I do not think they are looking for a fight here. It's far too foolish. I believe they're trying to guess what we've been doing all this while."

Pein sighed. "They've tried ways and means… but I'm sure they'll fail this mission of theirs. There is nothing more than the obvious: We need Naruto," he said with a dark tone in his voice. Konan frowned. "We've been acting too fast," she warned. "I suggest we now cover up our trail."

"No need," he grunted. "Send Deidara and Kisame… they will take care of the two shinobi with much ease."

"Fine," said Konan, with no other choice but to oblige. _You seem to underestimate our enemies very much. Madara wouldn't be pleased when he hears about this._

* * *

**A/N: **Chapter Five, done! I think this may be a bit short, but the next one will probably be longer than this. The next chapter will probably be left at a cliffhanger, or maybe I'll end with a fight or something. I see my 15th chapter approaching! (:


	6. Discovered

Possible

Possible

Chapter Six: Discovered

**Author's Note: **Enjoy! ; I'm sorry for the late update, but I had to go for a competition, and also, I had to study at the same time. The holidays aren't just for relaxation anymore! (:

* * *

The night was as still as ever, except for the fact that it was raining quite heavily. Thunder roared everywhere Ichiro and Ino went, but they only had one destination: The building they had inspected earlier, probably the Kage (if the Rain Village had one) Office. They leaped from rooftop to rooftop, not bothering about whether they made much noise on top of the villagers' apartments and houses, since the rain was equally noisy. The two landed in front of the door that they had previously opened the day before and this time, Ino was the first to enter. The interior had a gloomy atmosphere to it, and rainwater was dripping down from the cracks in the wall. "Some office," muttered Ino. Ichiro could hear her clearly, since the inside of the building was so large. "Let's keep moving. I'm curious to know what's in the top tower," he said. They made their way up the stairs, and walked past a few rooms before stopping. "This looks like our Hokage's Office," said Ino suddenly, looking around the corridor. "That means something bad happened to this place… and this village." Suddenly, there was sudden movement in the shadows. Someone had run past them from behind.

The corridor was like an endless curve, leading to the next flight of stairs, and they were facing the place where they had come from. "Whoever it is," whispered Ichiro, "he's still here." They slowly advanced towards the stairs leading up into the next floor. There was a sudden laugh coming from the floor above, a laugh that sounded charismatic, yet still equally creepy. Ino noticed that her hands had started to tremble out of fear of this place, and whoever it was that was taunting them from the shadows. "Okay," whispered Ino, looking around cautiously, "I think we're being followed."

Ichiro didn't say anything. Ookami was speaking to him again. **"Evil lurks within these shadows," **it warned, **"Something is watching you." **_Or someone, _replied the brunette. He didn't like this one bit. Ino was as aware of it as Ookami was. "What if no one's here?" she whispered. Ichiro ignored that, for he was afraid that once they left, the Akatsuki would probably reappear, or they would have missed some vital information on the notorious organization. They walked up the stairs to the fourth level to do a clean sweep of the place. There was nothing that they found that could lead them to the Akatsuki. Ichiro grew weary and bored at the same time. He decided that it was a wild goose chase to the Rain Village, only to find nothing in return. Ino seemed to be thinking about that as well, from her blank expression. "I think we should go," Ichiro suggested. "I'll just tell the Hokage that we couldn't find anything. And that the Akatsuki had probably moved off before we arrived here." Ino sighed in relief and nodded. "Okay, let's go."

Then, it all happened in a flash. They were descending the stairs when suddenly two strangers swooped down on them and knocked Ino unconscious. Ichiro took out his kunai and engaged into battle with the two. One was a blonde young man, whose hair was very much like Ino's, and the other man – well, he didn't exactly look like a normal man at all – had the appearance between a cross of a shark and a man. He held a large sword wrapped up in bandages. The two were dressed in the Akatsuki cloak. "Well, well, what do we have here? Two teenagers?" taunted the fish-like man. "Try not to upset him, Kisame. He looks awfully pissed," said the blonde. Kisame laughed loudly, and swung his blade towards Ichiro, who had carried Ino up and jumped away in time. "Deidara, I think you can handle him yourself, from the looks of this battle," said Kisame, looking at his blonde partner. Deidara smirked, and took out four clay birds. He threw them towards Ichiro, who was confused for a second, but when he saw what Deidara was about to do, he immediately ran back up to the fourth floor, escaping a huge explosion in the nick of time. He knew he couldn't fight with Ino in his arms, but he didn't want to let her go, in case she was killed.

Deidara and Kisame appeared behind him, with mocking smirks on their faces. Ichiro had to think fast, before they made their move. "Fight us like a man, shinobi," growled Deidara, revealing four more clay birds in his hand. Ichiro didn't seem to bother about what Deidara had said, and immediately ran up the stairs again to the fifth level. He kept going up and up, until he reached the top floor. He looked out the window and realized that he was at the highest point in the Rain Village. He put Ino down in a corner and got ready to fight. Kisame appeared with his sword and said, "Ready to fight?" Ichiro wielded his kunai tightly and lunged towards Kisame. With one blow of the Akatsuki member's sword, Ichiro's kunai split into two. He stumbled backwards from the impact and thought hard. He wasn't about to be defeated that easily. Within a split second, Ichiro had split into ten. His clones attacked Kisame head on first, serving as a distraction. Ichiro then jumped up into the air and smashed his iron fist down onto the ground, causing the floor to split and the whole tower to crumble. He carried Ino and jumped out of the tower, and landing on a nearby roof. He leaped away from the tower, knowing that Deidara and Kisame were following him closely. He found a suitable spot and put Ino down, before turning back to confront Deidara and Kisame. "Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!" yelled Ichiro, releasing a monstrous fireball towering towards the two Akatsuki members. They both jumped away, but as soon as they landed on the ground, two kicks were delivered to both of their faces.

Deidara was sent flying, but he quickly grabbed onto a lamppost and swung back hard at Ichiro. Kisame unleashed two water dolphins on Ichiro, who jumped away from both attacks at the same time. Now up in the air, Ichiro knew he had a good advantage over them – but only for a few seconds. He quickly formed his seals and summoned two wolves by tapping into Ookami's chakra. The wolves weren't real; they were something like shadow clones, but could take more than one hit before disappearing. The wolves charged towards Deidara and Kisame, snarling at them angrily. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. As Deidara advanced towards Ichiro, leaving Kisame to handle the wolves, he struck his kunai towards Ichiro, only to be shielded by Ino. Ichiro's eyes widened in horror as Ino fell into his arms again, this time, a visible wound on her stomach. Ichiro held her tight as she whispered something almost inaudible to Ichiro's ears, but he could read. She had only said a word before closing her eyes. Ichiro didn't know whether she had died or just fainted. Either way, Deidara still laughed mercilessly. Ichiro glared up at Deidara, who was looking at him with his blue eye, shooting him a teasing smirk.

Ichiro felt his insides burn heavily, as he let Ookami's chakra flow out endlessly. "He's a Jinchuuriki?" muttered Deidara, who gazed at the transforming Jinchuuriki with much curiosity. **"It's about time I stepped in," **growled Ookami.

Ichiro closed his eyes in pain, not wanting to see Ino's body – regardless of whether she was dead or not. It was this that made him so afraid. It was this that made him so paranoid and worried over Ino almost every day and every night. It made him stay up late at night, before reluctantly falling asleep, and sometimes, he never slept at all. Most of all, it made him blame himself for not persuading Tsunade to let Ino stay in Konoha. She wouldn't have been injured at all. She wouldn't have been on the verge of death. He glared up at Deidara, his white eyes with two dilated pupils nervous with new found energy. His chakra was white as well, and the cloak had already formed two tails.

"Interesting… what do we have here?" said Kisame, appearing beside Deidara after defeating the wolves. "Another Jinchuuriki?"

Deidara licked his lips and smiled. "Not just any Jinchuuriki. He has the Bijuu… which uses white chakra." Without any warning, Ichiro leaped forward and clawed furiously at the two people. Kisame blocked Ichiro's attacks with his sword, but was eventually thrown backwards due to Ichiro's super strength. The wild Jinchuuriki launched himself at Deidara, pinning him to the ground. Ichiro grabbed the blonde and hurled him to the far end of the street, and crashing into a wall. Kisame recovered and ran towards Ichiro again, unleashing a large water dragon at Ichiro, who dodged away in time. As soon as Kisame blinked, Ichiro was already behind him. He rammed his fist into Kisame's head and grabbed him before the fish man was sent flying backwards, and gave him another hard, bone-crushing kick to the stomach. Kisame groaned, and was soon thrown sideways by the strong and feral Jinchuuriki.

As soon as Ichiro sensed that there were no more threats, and was entirely sure that he had defeated the two Akatsuki members for now, he slowly walked back to where he had left Ino. "Ino," whispered Ichiro, not daring to touch her for fear that his chakra might burn her hand. As soon as the Ookami's chakra returned to his body, Ichiro felt a sudden loss of energy. It was probably due to the Ookami's energy that gave him the strength to fight. He looked around and noticed that many of the villagers were already coming out from their houses to check. They were whispering and murmuring and some were even looking terrified when he looked at them straight.

Without a word, Ichiro carried Ino's body and disappeared by using a teleportation jutsu.

* * *

A week had already passed since Ichiro had come back carrying Ino in his arms. He had spent every single day in the hospital since he had returned. Tsunade was getting worried over his mood these days, as he had previously yelled at her to get out when Tsunade had gently requested that he get some rest and get the mission report ready. All that mattered to Ichiro was Ino, who was out of danger, but she was still in a deep coma. _It isn't fair, _thought Ichiro. _I could have saved you, Ino. _Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji had come by one day, to visit Ino, as well as trying to persuade Ichiro to go back home to rest. "Ichiro… I think you should get some rest." Shikamaru placed his hand on Ichiro's shoulder, only to have it swept away by a silent Ichiro. He sighed, and shook his head. _Troublesome, why won't you listen? You look like a ghost. _Naruto frowned as he stopped next to Ichiro. "Oi, Ichiro. You should really go home. Ino won't want to see you in this state. You're practically half-dead, if we didn't know any better," said Naruto.

"No," was all that escaped from Ichiro's lips. His voice was shaky, making them realize why he hadn't been speaking at all in the past week. Naruto frowned. "We hate to see you like this," said the blonde. Ichiro turned his head to Naruto, his face as expressionless as per normal. "Why should you care?" he growled. "I was only here for almost a month. Sai is coming back next week, so I don't think you should get as close to me as you are to your friend."

"But you're close to Ino," said Chouji. "You're as close as any boyfriend can get."

Ichiro sighed. "I don't care. It's my fault she's like this."

"It's not, alright? Listen to me!" Naruto was now breathing heavily, his blue eyes piercing Ichiro like a knife. "Nobody could have known—"

"_I knew!_" roared Ichiro. He glared at Naruto for a few seconds before turning back to the unconscious Ino. "I – I knew she would have been injured if she came along." Naruto was about to say something, but Ichiro put his hand up. "I don't want to explain anything now. I just – I just want her to be okay," he said, with a gentle tone, while caressing her face slowly; as if it was the last time he was going to see her. "Ichiro," said Shikamaru, crouching down beside him. "It's okay. Nobody blames you for this."

"Well I do," he replied. Ichiro never thought that anyone would mean so much to him in his whole life, but once this girl – Yamanaka Ino – had stepped into his life, everything changed. _Please be okay. I know I haven't been the best partner… or the best friend… but I just want you to open your eyes and look at me. I want to see your smile again. I want to talk to you._

_Yamanaka Ino… I can't believe you changed me this much. I can't believe it. At the last minute, when I realize everything that has happened, you're gone. When I finally feel something, you're not here to hear me, or to let me show you what it is._

_Damn it._

"I…" whispered Ichiro, not sure of whether he would mean it if he said it. He pressed his lips together and sighed. It would be pointless, if he did, in front of Naruto, Shikamaru and Chouji.

"Guys," he said, turning around to the three shinobi towering over him. Ichiro forced a weak smile on his face as he said, "Thanks."

Naruto grinned and patted Ichiro on the back. "No problem! What are friends for, huh?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

GAH! The horror! I think I screwed my fight scene! Never mind. Read and review )


	7. The Mission Report

Possible

Possible

Chapter Seven: The Mission Report

**Author's Note: **(: Enjoy. There's not much action or anything.

* * *

Ichiro gazed at Ino, who was on the hospital bed, with a sort of a peaceful look on her face, as if she was sleeping soundly. The more he looked at her, the more he wished she'd just wake up now. He clutched her hand tightly and brought it close to his lips. He kissed her hand softly and ran his other free hand through her long hair. She was so beautiful this way, but he knew that she'd look much better if she was awake, and constantly pestering him with questions on his life. He'd gladly answer them all, if she'd just open her eyes. Ichiro missed her lively attitude, he missed the times when she got angry with him, and how she had glared at him every time they crossed paths in Konoha. Most of all, he loved her eyes. They were pale blue, and it was a gentle shade of pale blue, that never failed to calm him down every time he looked into her eyes. _How I wish… none of this ever happened._

There was a light knock on the door. "Ichiro-kun, are you in there? Tsunade requests a mission report from you," said Shizune from the outside, fearing that Ichiro might explode in anger again. He couldn't blame her though. He was quite unstable sometimes, when they asked him too many questions, or just simply tried to strike up useless conversations in the past week. He opened the door to see a surprised Shizune, who had almost gone light pink at the sight of Ichiro. "Shizune-chan," he drawled, looking at her blankly. "Tell Tsunade I'll be there before three." The Hokage's young assistant nodded and almost dashed off after hearing Ichiro's words. He turned back to Ino and went back to her side again. He leaned forward, towards her ear and whispered gently, "I have to go see Tsunade now. I'll bring you flowers… I'll bring those that you love. Those white jasmine flowers, okay? I'll be back." He hoped that she would hear his words, somewhere in her sub-consciousness, and had started to habit of whispering in her ear, in case anyone thought that he was going crazy by talking to a person in a coma.

He left the ward soon afterwards, and made his way down to the Hokage Office. Before reaching the office, however, Ichiro didn't hesitate to buy the flowers he had 'promised' Ino. After buying a few stalks of them, Ichiro quickly made his way to the Hokage Office. He reached there knowing that Tsunade would very much prefer a written report, but he decided that she would have to bear with the verbal report. As soon as he entered, he set the flowers down on the small desk next to him. He then approached Tsunade's table and saluted. "Tsunade-sama, I am here to give you the report on the mission," he said, looking down at Tsunade, who had probably figured that he didn't have the time to do up a written report, due to the amount of time he had been spending at the hospital.

Tsunade eyed him suspiciously, worried that he hadn't gotten over the fact that Ino was unconscious and lying in a hospital bed. "We headed to the Rain Village to inspect the situation there. Apparently, nothing odd had been spotted during our stay there. We found an old building in a secluded part of the village, and realized that it was the Kage's building. We entered to search for anything informative on the Akatsuki, but to no avail. We were then attacked by Deidara and Kisame…" Ichiro's voice faded away, as if he had no more will to speak on, for the scenes of the devastating battle had begun to replay in his head again. Tsunade understood what had happened from there and said, "There is no need to go any further. I just want to know if you're okay."

Ichiro blinked in surprise. "I – I'm fine," he replied, not hesitating to take back the flowers from the table. "Really," he said, looking at Tsunade's worried expression. He forced another smile and saluted. "Alright," muttered Tsunade, as she watched Ichiro leave the room. He certainly didn't hesitate to tell her not to worry, like the way he used to when he was only at the young age of eleven.

The Jinchuuriki returned to the hospital soon after, and placed the white jasmines in the vase next to Ino's bed. Soon, the smell intoxicated Ichiro deeply. Ino smelled like jasmines, sometimes, when she had chosen that sort of perfume. Ichiro didn't like the fact that he had to sit here to wait for her to wake up, but there was nothing better he could do than to be by her side, and to be the first person she sees when she awakens.

There was a light knock on the door again. Ichiro didn't bother to reply, because the person probably knew that he was inside the ward anyway. Shikamaru entered with an unreadable expression; probably something between concern and indifference. He knew Ino would wake up sooner or later, but he couldn't help but to pity Ichiro and his current state. No one he knew had ever been so worried over his teammate before, other than those two-faced assholes that Ino had called 'boyfriends'. He smirked at the thought; those guys never deserved her as much as Ichiro did.

"Hey," said Shikamaru, pulling a chair and sitting down next to Ichiro. The brunette gave him a nod. "The doctor says she looks much better. He thinks she'll wake up soon," said Shikamaru in a matter-of-fact tone. It was one of his feeble attempts at making Ichiro feel any better, though. _Troublesome… _thought Shikamaru with a grimace. He always sucked at comforting people, and that was probably one of the reasons why Ino hung out with Chouji more than him. He could have slapped himself for that. "I can't help but feel so overwhelmed… seeing her like this," said Ichiro, his gaze transfixed on Ino.

Shikamaru frowned. This guy was really serious about her. "Well… like the doctor said… y'know, she'll be alive and kicking in no time." Ichiro didn't hesitate to grin at that comment. "Yeah, soon," he acknowledged. "I can't stand you being here twenty-four seven, Ichiro," said Shikamaru lazily. "I don't believe I have seen you eat once since your return." Ichiro looked at Shikamaru, his grin still on his face. "I'm taking that as an invitation?"

"Troublesome… I'm not treating you to lunch or anything, though," said Shikamaru, somewhat delighted that he could finally bring the isolated shinobi out from the confines of the hospital ward.

* * *

Naruto had joined them for lunch, improving the mood at their usual place for lunch: Ichiraku Ramen. The blonde Jinchuuriki was constantly droning on and on about his sage training, while Shikamaru was suffering from a side-splitting headache due to Naruto's endless torrent of words. Ichiro, however, paid close attention to Naruto. He had never met a Toad Sage before, or any other sage for that matter. "…so then I carried the large – I mean, you should have seen the size of it! – toad statue and well, I never really felt so strong in my life!" finished Naruto, grinning with triumph.

"Yes, yes, we all know you've been the best, Naruto," said Shikamaru dryly, with a bored tone attached to his voice. "We know you want to carry Sakura more than anything in the world…"

Naruto turned a bright shade of scarlet and tried to deny it, but failed miserably. "I do not want to carry Sakura! Its fat hope, don't you think?" Shikamaru let out a loud chuckle. "It's quite easy, now that I think about it…" He smirked when Naruto immediately turned to him and asked, "Tell me, tell me!" Shikamaru shrugged and said, "Just knock her cold and carry her to the hospital. I'm sure she'll really love you then!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and folded his arms in annoyance. "I won't knock her out!" Even though the blonde had announced that loudly, something made Ichiro think that he was considering the plan that Shikamaru had so lightly put. Teuchi and Ayame were listening closely, and they were laughing along with Shikamaru and Ichiro. The brunette felt great. He hadn't laughed in such a long time, and finally felt a huge and heavy load lifted from his shoulders. Naruto was the only one who didn't laugh though. He was much too absorbed in the devious scheme to carry Sakura. "Naruto… stop being a pedophile," said Ichiro with a grin. Naruto sighed and said, "Okay, fine! I'll carry her some other time!"

"That reminds me…" started Shikamaru, glancing sideways at Ichiro. "How did you escape from Deidara and Kisame?"

Ichiro raised his eyebrows and bit his lower lips. He couldn't risk exposing his secret now. He shrugged. "Luck, probably," replied Ichiro. "I almost died out there." Naruto grinned broadly and said, "Always the strong shinobi, this Ichiro!"

He smiled gratefully at Naruto and continued eating his ramen. Shikamaru, however, didn't hesitate to look into Ichiro's eyes before looking back into his bowl of ramen. Ichiro's eyes still had those slightly dilated pupils, and his eyes were grey, slowly becoming brown again. Naruto probably never noticed a change at all, though. He was far to obsessed with his Sage training, and Haruno Sakura. Shikamaru couldn't blame him; the poor guy had been crushing on Sakura since they first met each other.

"Hey, what's say we go for a short sparring session?"

"Alright! I'm ready to test out my new skills!" exclaimed Naruto excitedly.

Ichiro merely nodded and said, "Alright."

* * *

Deep within the forests of the Grass Country, Sai emerged from the darker part of the woods to see a brighter path ahead of him. He smiled, and thought, _I will be home soon, my friends._

* * *

"Kakashi," said Tsunade, putting down her cup of sake. The silver-haired Copy Ninja looked up at the Hokage from his Icha-Icha Paradise novel with a small 'Hm?' The blonde Hokage thought for a moment, as if she had to piece her words together before being able to say it out in a full sentence, before saying, "You do realize we have more than one Jinchuuriki in this village?" Kakashi nodded and drawled, "It's that new kid isn't it? Ichiro was his name, isn't it?" Tsunade nodded. "Do you know what Bijuu he holds within him?"

"I don't know. Some turtle?" asked Kakashi sheepishly. Tsunade rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Kakashi simply didn't know when to put his sarcasm to good use. She folded her arms and sighed in despair. "It's one we have all heard of," she said. The Copy Ninja looked up again from his perverted novel and gave Tsunade a questioning look. "There's always the one-tailed one… the two-tailed… three… four… five… up 'til old Kyuubi here. Which is it?" asked Kakashi, looking slightly confused. Tsunade raised her eyebrows. Hadn't Kakashi heard of the legendary one in all his life as a shinobi?

"I thought you knew… the one with the white chakra."

Kakashi seemed to have been distracted from his novel the moment Tsunade mentioned 'white chakra'. "I thought that was a myth!" he said, scratching his head. "Nothing is impossible anymore, Kakashi," said Tsunade. "The Bijuu which uses white chakra… is a not so distant relative of the Kyuubi."

"Don't tell me…" said Kakashi, wondering if he would have guessed correctly if he said it. The only animal in the world that looks close to a fox is a wolf. "Ookami? That terrifying killing machine?" he guessed. To his horror, Tsunade nodded. Kakashi felt even more lost now. "I _really _thought that was a myth… it seemed so fake!" he muttered under his breath. He looked at Tsunade again and asked, "You're not kidding, right?" The Godaime rolled her eyes again. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

"Nope," replied Kakashi with a hidden smile under his mask. "So what do you want me to do about it?"

"I'm worried… that the Akatsuki may be after Ichiro now. For sixteen years, he has been out of the organization's radar… and the Ookami remained as a myth. But now, I have a feeling that he had lost control over the Ookami's chakra and had used it in battle," said Tsunade, concern evidently in her tone.

"Oh. I get it," said Kakashi. "So you want me to what?"

"Protect Ichiro… for as long as he stays here. And I will do my part and inform Shion of the Demon Country."

Kakashi sighed. "Understood."

* * *

There we go! Chapter 7! :D


	8. Awake

Possible

Possible

Chapter Eight: Awake

**Author's Note: **The title says it all!

* * *

Ichiro was only awake for a few minutes before he heard a whisper in the silence of the night.

"Ichiro…" He only thought it was his imagination, and stirred slightly. He was far too tired to raise his head to check. As he drifted off to sleep again, the whisper came again. "Ichiro…" He sat bolt upright, and saw that Ino was looking straight back at him with tired eyes. Was it a dream? Was it merely a hallucination? Ichiro didn't care.

He looked at her silently, not knowing what to say. The hospital definitely still had their nurses and doctors busying around, as it wasn't even midnight yet. But still, Ichiro didn't want to leave her side. There was this look in her eyes that made him stay. He was glad to see a smile stretch slowly across Ino's face as he whispered back, "Finally awake?" Ino nodded, and wordlessly took his hand. "I heard you," she said. "I heard what you said when you slept." Ichiro turned a light shade of pink when he realized that he had been talking in his sleep again. "That's the second time already," he murmured, brushing her hair away from her face. Those two pale blue eyes looked right into his brown ones, and if it wasn't for the moonlight, Ichiro would have thought that her eyes were filled with tears.

He let out a tiny chuckle, and said softly, "How could you do this to me?" Ino looked at him with a bewildered expression. Had she done something wrong before passing out? "You left me alone for almost two months now… and frankly, I think it was pure torture," he said, smiling warmly at her. Ino was surprised; had her absence changed this guy inside out? She squeezed his hand and replied, "I didn't think you'd be the first person I'd see. I thought it'd be Shikamaru or Chouji…" Ichiro couldn't help but feel a little jealous. Perhaps it was his attitude in the past that made Ino feel that he was far too emotionless to visit her.

"I've been here every single day," said Ichiro. "You can ask Shikamaru, or Naruto, even." Ino didn't respond, though. She was far too deep in thought. She closed her eyes and pretended to rest for a while, feeling slightly embarrassed and awkward in this moment. _What do I say? I can't believe I'm totally speechless in front of this guy! He's usually the one who doesn't say a word when I was with him… and now, he's looking at me… smiling at me… HOLDING MY HAND!_

"Ino?" he whispered again. She opened her eyes and smiled nervously. "You're really something. Jumping in front of me that night," he continued, stroking the top of her hand with his thumb. He bit his lower lip, as if he had forgotten what he wanted to say next. "And I thank you for that. I've never met anyone like you." Ino blushed wildly. No one had ever said that to her before and actually meant it. Ichiro hesitated slightly, before continuing, "I'd give anything to repay that… I guess."

"Again with your guessing," she teased. Ino sat upright now, so that she could lean against Ichiro, who was sitting next to her in the chair. He lifted her head so that she was looking directly up at him, and murmured, "I promise you, I'll never put you in harm's way ever again." Ino was surprised at his sudden statement, to the extent of turning even redder.

She laughed nervously, and replied, "I-It's okay. I'm a shinobi… and I can fight too." Ichiro still had his hand under Ino's chin, and they didn't move from that position for about five minutes. Ino assumed he was going to kiss her, so she closed her eyes and braced herself for the fireworks. Ichiro stoned there, however. He suddenly felt extremely nervous, embarrassed, awkward, shy, anything you can think of that made someone stop completely. He even stopped breathing.

Ino sensed his nervousness, and opened her eyes. "Well if you won't do it, I will," she said suddenly, her usual attitude returning to her. Ichiro felt his heart racing as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her lips closer to his. She stopped abruptly, and smirked at Ichiro, causing him to turn even redder than she was now. Beneath that smirk, however, she was panicking.

Before they could do anything else, however, other than stare deeply into each other's eyes, the doctor noticed the two from outside and rushed in. "Ah, Ino! You're awake! I – uh, did I interrupt… anything?" said the doctor, scratching his head with a sheepish smile on his face. Ichiro and Ino immediately let go of each other, reproaching themselves for not making the first move. "It… it was n-n-nothing," stuttered Ino, staring at her own hands. The doctor had a slightly confused and embarrassed look on his face, having interrupted the couple's moment together. "I'll… go get the – uh – things… files I mean, to get you ready for your discharge, after the uh, checkup."

"Oh, okay," said Ino, not daring to turn to look around at Ichiro, who was extremely zoned out in his seat. The doctor smiled nervously and quickly rushed out of the ward, probably cursing under his breath for barging in on the couple. Ichiro bit his lower lip again and couldn't believe what he had just done. Had he just felt like kissing her just because he felt that he was already in love with her? Why had he stopped himself at the very last minute? Was it because he knew that he was leaving soon, once Sai comes back, and he didn't want her to hold on so tightly to this almost impossible relationship? He didn't know. He probably was trying not to care, from the look on his face. Ino turned around and looked at him with an unsure look on her face. Was she thinking the same thing as he was now? Ino didn't want him to leave, though. She knew he belonged somewhere else, but she was determined to make this work. She just didn't know how he felt now. _What do you mean you don't know? He practically tried to kiss you! _Ino sighed.

_Five more days… or less… before I go back. What do I say? I had so much to say a few minutes ago!_

Ichiro scratched his head and said, "I'll… go get the – uh – doctor. Yeah." As soon as Ino heard him getting out of his seat, she turned around and said, "No! Just stay here. He'll be back sooner than we think. Please?" Ichiro turned around from the door and Ino swore that he had smiled a little before returning to his seat. "Alright," replied Ichiro. He didn't go back to his chair, though. This time, he headed for the bed and sat down next to Ino, as if he had been waiting for the chance to move to a different sitting location. He tried to get rid of the nervousness inside of him and said, "Let's… go for dinner later, s-shall we?" Ino jumped slightly and turned her head to Ichiro. The two stared at each other for a moment before Ichiro continued, "Well?"

"Sure… why not?" Ino sounded quite indecisive, really. She was playing with her fingers, a habit that had belonged to Hyuuga Hinata. Hinata had done that whenever she felt shy, or was around the blonde named Uzumaki Naruto. Now Ino was looking down at her hands, as if she was so engrossed in playing with her fingers, and tried to distract herself from the awkward situation. "So, what do you wanna eat?" asked Ichiro, moving closer to her. "I don't know… I'm fine with anything really," she answered, trying to let him make the decision. Ichiro frowned. "Okay. We'll go for ramen, how about that?" Ino couldn't help but to smile in amusement. She turned away to hide her smile from Ichiro, lest he started asking her questions she didn't really want to answer. She knew that Naruto had gotten Ichiro addicted to ramen, but she didn't mind. As long as she was with him… she could eat anything in the world.

"Uh, we are ready!" yelled the doctor from outside, his back facing the door, afraid that he would interrupt another crucial moment in the two's lives. Ino looked to the door and sighed. It was time for that horrible checkup.

* * *

They had an undisturbed, silent dinner. Ichiro thought that she would have stopped being so tense when they left the hospital, but she certainly didn't look at ease the whole time. He suggested a walk around the village, and she agreed almost eagerly. Did she have something important to say to him? He took her to the more quiet part of Konoha, where not many people were out of their houses. They were probably eating their home-cooked dinner at home, with all of their family members. Ichiro wondered if he would actually have a chance to experience that kind of dinner, but he decided that a dinner with Ino was good enough for him. While walking, at one point, Ichiro had tried to hold her hand, but he restrained himself from doing so, as he was afraid that he might give her some foolish hope that he wanted to be with her badly, which was true, but Ichiro didn't want to return to the Demon Country with her on his mind, and it would certainly drive him crazy.

Surprisingly, he didn't manage to grab hold of her hand, but she did. Ino held on quite tightly, and Ichiro knew that she didn't want to let go of his hand at all. He felt a little better, knowing that she would return the feeling if he had told her how he felt. _I love you, _he had wanted to say so badly. All that stood in the way of his feelings now was his loyalty to his home country and the Priestess. Maybe he would return years later, only to find Ino married with children… and she would have completely forgotten him by then—

"Ichiro?" Her voice brought him back down to earth. He looked at her with calming eyes and smiled. "What?" asked Ichiro, feeling her grip on his hand soften. Ino seemed to be contemplating something depressing, but she suddenly switched back to her normal expression. "I was just thinking… is it a must for you to go back to your home?" She thought it was a question with an obvious answer, but she tried to hope for the best. Ichiro sighed and tugged her hand lightly as he said, "You would have to do the same if you were in my position, Ino. I can't just quit the whole thing and abandon my home like that." Ino's expression softened to sadness and disappointment, as if she had been hoping that he'd leave his village for her. _Stop being so wishful!_

"But still," said Ichiro, turning back to face the path that they were now treading, "I could always come back to visit you."

Ino looked appreciative of what Ichiro was trying to say, but she knew that unless he stayed with her, it wasn't going to work at all. "No, I don't think you should trouble yourself over me," she said with a smile, as she let go of his hand reluctantly. Ichiro seemed to frown slightly, before changing his expression almost immediately. _Trouble myself? Ino, I love you! _He felt quite foolish for screaming his answers in his own head, but he didn't want to hurt her, or make her wait for a long time before he could actually come back. Deciding that he would worry about that later, he tried to look for other things to concentrate on. Ichiro's eyes seemed to be drawn to the bright silvery moon that was hovering directly above them, as Ookami said, **"A full moon. I haven't felt its energy in ages…"**

Ichiro couldn't help but to love the warm feeling that the moon gave him, but he doubted that Ino could feel anything he did. He reached for her hand again, and as he did that, Ino avoided his hand carefully, as if trying to tell him to back off for a while. "Ino," he said, staring at her in the eyes, "Are you angry at me?" He thought it was a dumb question to ask her now, when he should have been pouring out his feelings to her. Ino looked at him with a curious look on her face and shook her head. "Why do you ask?"

"Nothing," he replied hastily, before keeping his hands to himself. "I'm just… tense."

_Ino! How could you not let him take your hand? I know you wanted him to hold you, even! _She sighed and suddenly stopped. Ichiro stopped as well, and looked at her with a serious look on his face. Was he going to kiss her now? Was he just going to walk away? _I'd let you know I wouldn't mind if you left for a century and would still love you… but I don't think you'd listen. _Ichiro didn't say anything, nor make any move. After a few minutes of waiting, Ino finally grew impatient. "I'm going home," she said finally, her tone serious. Ichiro seemed shocked at her sudden change of attitude towards him.

"No, wait a minute…"

"I have to go home, Ichiro. It's getting late."

"I'll bring you back—"

"No." She stared intensely at Ichiro for a second, as if she had wanted to kiss him first instead. Ichiro bit his lip and knew that he had made her angry now. He had never seen her seriously angry, excluding the times that she had scolded him every time he annoyed her in the past, and he was honestly intimidated. "Wait. Just… wait." The tone of his voice seemed to remove the anger and sadness that Ino had held for him. "How can I?" she muttered, walking closer to him, until their lips were just inches away. "How can I live… how can I _survive _without you here?" she whispered. Ichiro reached for her hand again and caught it this time. "Because…" he said calmly, "…you should know that I can't live without you either." Ino seemed to turn red immediately after he had said that, and turned even redder, if possible, when he leaned in for the supposedly breathtaking kiss, she imagined. As soon as Ichiro kissed her, she had started to feel as if she was floating. _There. I said it. Now I'm going to hate myself for this. I even kissed her now! How can I leave without wanting to stay with her?!_

Ichiro pulled her closer, and held her free hand with his other hand. He opened his mouth slightly and licked her lower lip, and tasted something sweet. _Interesting, _he thought, as he let his tongue travel into her mouth, like he never had before. Believe it or not, this was his first kiss. It felt so right and warm at the same time. Ino had her left arm around his neck as she pulled him down slightly, still having her lips locked with his. As soon as they pulled away, which took a long time, because they were reluctant to stop, Ino looked up at him with a sad smile and said, "It's okay. I understand. You have to go, right? I understand." Ichiro cupped her chin and looked at her with a heartbroken look on his face. "I don't want to go. You know I don't want to."

"I know. I promise… I'll never beg you to stay. I'll wait."

"Promise?"

"Yeah," replied Ino, running her hand through his hair gently. "I'll wait."

* * *

Finally, chapter 8! :D Emotional rollercoaster… hawhaw!


	9. White Chakra

Possible

Possible

Chapter Nine: White Chakra

**Author's Note: **No, he doesn't get engaged. Haha, but that'd be a swell idea! I'll consider that for another story, shall I? The 'priest lady' is Shion, a character from the Naruto Shippuuden movie. I've taken a liking to her, and paired her up with Naruto (watch the ending of the Shippuuden movie to find out why). HA! But I won't make it into some bestseller or something showing their romance over the years. That'd be longwinded. So I won't. It's for you guys to imagine the rest. Thanks for the wonderful reviews! This chapter was inspired by reading _Twilight _halfway, and hell, enjoy it!

* * *

Ino didn't know how long she had been awake, but all she remembered was that she had been thinking about Takahashi Ichiro ever since she returned to her room. She looked up at the ceiling, somehow expecting him to appear again, so that she would see him, as much as she could, knowing that he was to leave for his village soon. She had remembered how silent their mission was to the Rain Village, but as the days passed, her feelings soon started to bug her greatly. At first, she didn't want to fall for a guy like Ichiro. He was far too serious and emotionless for her, she assumed. Then she saw the other side of Ichiro. Then, when they had gone to the old Kage building, a part of Ino wanted to hold onto Ichiro as tightly as she could, and yet, another part wanted him to know that she could protect herself. Ino found herself falling unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him at the last minute, when the fight ensued. Then, she got knocked out. When she came to, she had found herself leaning against a wall, and had noticed that everything around her was a mess. She got up, and went to find Ichiro. As soon as she had found him fighting the Akatsuki members, she recalled jumping in front of him, taking a sharp blow to her stomach, and the last thing that she had seen was his eyes, filled with fury and regret at the same time. That was when she realized that she had fallen for him completely.

All she could think about was Ichiro. Ichiro, Ichiro, Ichiro. Why couldn't she just go to sleep and dream about him? Then again, Ino wanted to stay awake and save every second he had in this village. Ino knew that he had to leave the village, and had reluctantly accepted the fact that even if she begged him, he would have no choice but to return to where he rightfully belonged. She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, and she breathed in and out hard to prevent herself from breaking down in her own room.

_This is so selfish of me, _she thought crudely, _why can't I just let him go on his own? Why do I have to want to interfere in his every affair? I really want him to stay, but even he acknowledges the fact that he can't! Why did I even meet him in the first place? Why did he even_ come_ here? _Even after all that thinking, Ino knew that she was really trying to make an excuse for falling for Ichiro. A part of her knew that perhaps, he had fallen as deeply in love as she had, and maybe, just maybe, he also wanted to stay. But her hope was washed away when she realized that his loyalties had lay where he had come from, and she could understand that fully. She just didn't want it that way. Ino found herself crying silently in the middle of the night, clutching at her blanket as if it was Takahashi Ichiro himself.

Soon, Ino drifted off into an uneasy sleep.

The next morning, she awoke, yawning frequently on her way to the bathroom. She hadn't slept much last night, she recalled. She even had a strange dream about Ichiro that he had told her the reason why he was leaving. He had said, "I'm leaving because it's too dangerous for us to be together. I know you wouldn't understand, but… if I told you I was someone dangerous, like a Jinchuuriki… well, I think it'd be best for me to get away for a while." Ino felt that it was quite foolish to have even dreamt of him saying something as stupid as that. How could he have been a Jinchuuriki? She certainly hadn't heard of a Jinchuuriki that wasn't caught by the Akatsuki other than Naruto, so she brushed the thought away. Sometimes, Ino realized that Ichiro had intimidated her quite a lot of times, with his intense glares from time to time, but gradually, she noticed that his glares had softened by the days. _It's not like I'll see it any longer after he leaves, _she thought sadly.

She decided to head down to meet Shikamaru and Chouji, in order to take her mind off the dilemma that both she and Ichiro were probably facing together. _Together, _she thought again, _are we even considered together now? _Another voice popped into her head that sounded real enough for her to know that it was her inner-self talking to her. _What do you think? He kissed you last night!_

_Oh shut up. That didn't mean anything. _In reality, Ino knew it meant so many things at once. It could have been a goodbye kiss, she assumed to herself. A goodbye kiss for her to know that it wasn't possible between Ichiro and her. Yes, that was it. A goodbye kiss, one that was so passionate and heartbreaking at the same time. She didn't want a goodbye, though. Sighing, Ino turned a corner within a fraction of a second; she had walked a bit too fast and crashed into the very guy that her heart had so sadly desired. Ichiro smiled at her and said, "I was just about to come over to your house." Ino couldn't help but to blush, and smile timidly at that. "Why?" she asked, her voice showing obvious curiosity and a hint of eagerness at the same time. "I wanted to take you out for… just a walk. Are you free?" Ichiro's smile faded slightly when hers did completely, and muttered, "Oh. You have something on?" Ino shook her head and beamed at him, surprising Ichiro. "No, I'm totally free. It's ten in the morning, why wouldn't I be free?" She winked at him and took his hand gently. "Where to?" she asked.

"I was thinking just outside Konoha. You know… a quiet place."

"Oh, alright then," said Ino, feeling excited and elated at the same time that he was here with her again. In the past, she would have considered every other walk, meal or outing with a guy to be a date. To be in front of Ichiro now, and so happy that he had asked her out for a walk, left her clueless on whether he had considered this a proper date or not. Ichiro seemed to have read her mind, and said, "I think this is what I call a quiet date." Ino felt his grip tighten on her hand, but it wasn't too tight, and it didn't hurt. He was especially gentle with her as they strolled out the entrance gate of Konoha. "So, Ino," he said, looking strangely amused today, "How do you like this?" She knew he meant the moment right now, as they were walking through the forests. "It's great. I haven't had a date like this at all," she replied, slightly worried that she had mentioned 'date' too casually. "Me too, and in fact, I haven't had a date at all, until I met you, that is." Ino turned a darker shade of scarlet red and let out a tiny chuckle. She felt honored to be his first, well, if it was safe to say, date, or… whatever it his that he used to describe his girlfriend.

"Oh. Sounds odd," she mumbled. Ichiro seemed to have caught that and asked, "Why?"

"Well," she replied, narrowing her eyes slightly with suspicion, "I assumed you had many girlfriends before, given your looks." Ichiro laughed and shook his head. "In my village, all the girls go for guys that drive them on edge, if you know what I mean," he said, winking at her. Ino smiled. "I suppose you don't assume you drive me on edge?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Do I?"

"Frequently," she said, in a teasing tone. Ichiro smirked. Then, Ino added, "Do I drive _you _on edge?" Ichiro pursed his lips for a while before looking at her again, replying, "Yes," with a grin on his face.

* * *

Deidara sat on his chair, wincing with pain as Konan tended to his wounds. "I hate that Jinchuuriki. Never seen an ass like him, other than Naruto, of course," he hissed, looking at Konan. She looked up at him and tilted her head to the side, as if she didn't understand him. "Jinchuuriki? I thought the remaining one was Naruto?" she said, her eyes narrowing. Deidara shook his head. "Apparently, there's another one we didn't notice until now. And there, the most peculiar thing happened. The Jinchuuriki had—"

Kisame groaned, when Pein stepped in to interrupt them. "—white chakra," he finished; looking at Deidara's shocked expression on his face. "He had white chakra, didn't he?" asked Pein curiously. Deidara and Kisame both turned to look at their leader. The blonde piped, "Hey, how did you know? You weren't there when it happened, were you?" The auburn-haired man nodded with an unreadable expression on his face. "I spent some time researching on the Bijuu with white chakra, and found out that, well, it was a Bijuu far older than the Kyuubi itself."

"Something more powerful than the Kyuubi?" asked Konan, as if trying to clarify her doubts about such a Bijuu. Pein nodded again. "It has been out of our knowledge for centuries, and it is said that the Ookami existed when the first shinobi appeared on the earth." Deidara seemed skeptical at that, but Kisame was smirking at the thought of such a powerful Bijuu under the Akatsuki's belt. Konan, however, seemed cautious, as she predicted that Pein was already forming a plan to snatch the Ookami from the boy that had fought Deidara and Kisame. "Be extremely careful," she warned, her stare piercing Pein. "It already broke Deidara's left leg and arm."

"I can handle more than just broken bones, Konan," retorted Pein, scratching his chin lightly. "And I believe I can conquer this Jinchuuriki. It all takes time."

"I hope you're right, then," said Konan. Something in her voice told Pein that she was still wary of the Bijuu and its container. She knew that the Jinchuuriki was far stronger than Uzumaki Naruto, and it was a cold, hard fact. They had spent the next few hours pondering over how the Ookami had gotten sealed into the boy in the first place. Deidara, however, seemed bored to the bone. Konan seemed to be slightly worried that Pein was obsessing over the Jinchuuriki, like he had over Naruto, but made no point that he should stop right now. "If there was only a weakness… something that could…"

"Lure him?" added Kisame, slightly hopeful that he'd get another chance at revenge. Pein smiled devilishly as he said, "Yes… to lure the Jinchuuriki out into the open, and then we'll catch him, and his Bijuu. But first, we need to observe, like we always have, for Naruto-kun…"

"What do you suggest we do, in the meantime, while you send people to watch the boy?" asked Konan, folding her paper cranes again. Pein thought about it for a while, before replying, "I suggest… you prepare."

"Of course," said Konan. Deidara merely grimaced at the thought of attempting to nab such a dangerous Jinchuuriki. He would be out of action for at least a few months, no thanks to that guy. He remembered hearing the blonde girl calling him Ichiro, so that was probably the asshole's name. "Ichiro…" he murmured, his lips curving upward into a dark smile. "I'll remember you. And I'll get you."

* * *

For the next few days, Ino realized Ichiro's absence. He hadn't been seen for a while, and she was beginning to think that he had left without a proper goodbye, or probably, he had assumed that the last kiss he gave her was good enough. The last kiss he gave her was still the same one, after dinner a week ago. She hadn't dared to kiss him at all, fearing that he might push her away, outraged that she did not get the gesture that he had intended to make her understand. Ino had been on an emotional rollercoaster every single night, and sometimes, she had even gotten angry at Ichiro for not being as sensitive to her feelings as she thought he would be. Even though he had treated her so well, the fact that he didn't seem to be affected like that night had made Ino irksome.

"Ino." The familiar voice was as soothing to her ears as it could ever get. She turned around to face Takahashi Ichiro, who this time, held a dark expression on his face. He didn't sound too happy, either. Had he gotten angry at her over the days that he was gone? She smiled nervously at him as he sighed and led her over to the bench. He looked messed up, literally. It was as if he had gone on a grueling mission while he was gone, and had returned, completely out of energy. "What happened?" she asked, her voice laced with concern. Ichiro shook his head and said, "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"What's wrong, then?"

There was a long period of silence as Ichiro looked – well, it was more like one of his intense glares he hadn't gave her in months – at her. He finally spoke after a few minutes. "I realize I haven't been very sensitive to you all this while," he said, his glare softening to some sort of a remorseful look. There was a hint of grey in his pupil, and Ino began to worry if he had contracted some disease or something. "And I know you don't want me to go."

"No – it's alright," she cut in, reaching for his hand. As she held into his hand, Ichiro looked down at their hands, and sighed. "I don't want to go as well," he continued, making Ino feel hopeful that he had pleaded to Tsunade to let him stay. "But you have to forgive me," he whispered. "I have to go. I'm too…"

Before he had even finished his sentence, Ino knew what he was about to say. "…dangerous?" she tried, trying to sound slightly more curious than certain that he was about to say that. Apparently, Ichiro had suddenly grew suspicious. "How did you know?" he asked.

"I … it was a guess," she replied sheepishly. Ichiro bit his lower lip and looked away from her, as if he was embarrassed about something. "And I haven't been very honest with you, either." Ino looked sad at that point; it was partly true. He seemed as if he had been hiding something from her all this while, but she never bothered to anger him that way. He suddenly took her hand with his free hand and looked at her in the eyes so intensely again that she had blushed again. "I'll tell you. Everything. Now." He had emphasized every word with seriousness, and Ino was beginning to think that he was trying to make good of the time he had left with her in Konoha.

"Okay," she said, smiling. "I'll listen." Her anger had faded immediately.

* * *

Chapter nine, done! Do read and review!


	10. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hello all

**Hello all! So sorry for the mega lack of updates! My end year exams are just next week, and I really have no time to update this story. I'm not going to delete this, but it'll just be on temporary pause for now. I am sooooo sorry! I really have to pass the exams if not I'll stay with the freshmen next year D: which sucks, really.**

**So, I will update the week after next week! Promise!**


	11. A Swim

Possible

Possible

Chapter Ten: A Swim

**Author's Note: **I can finish this, yes I can!

* * *

"Ino, I'm… a Jinchuuriki," said Ichiro, with a tense look on his face. The blonde stared at Ichiro for a moment before narrowing her eyes. "What has that got to do with anything?" she said, sounding slightly sad. She didn't want him to use this as an excuse just to go back without hurting her. He took her hand and squeezed it. His expression fell to sadness as he said, "I can't stay here. I'm too dangerous." Ino felt her throat tighten as she tried to hold back her tears. "I don't care. So what if you are? I still love you!" she said. Ichiro shook his head and glared at her intensely. She had asked for this, he thought. "Ino, I'm going to kill you one day before the both of us know it! I can't stay here!" He stood up and turned around. Ino was shocked at his sudden anger. She wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered, "I can handle it. I don't mind." He sighed. "You don't understand," growled Ichiro. He sounded as hopeless as he looked. "The Akatsuki are after me now. They know what I am."

Ino fought back her tears. She didn't want to let him go now, not when she knew there could be something more. "Please," she whispered. Ichiro pried away her arms and turned around, his glare still on his face. He seemed intent on leaving. "Don't go. Not when I'm so in love," she said her voice shaky. Ichiro gritted his teeth. As much as he didn't want to go, he had to. The Akatsuki would perhaps even appear right now… He closed his eyes. He wanted to stay a little bit longer. If the Akatsuki had come, it would be because of him. If they came… he would give himself up.

"At least, a while longer," she said, slightly exasperated. He looked at her silently with his dark eyes. "Please?" Her voice just made him melt on the inside. If there was a last thing he'd do for her, well, this was probably it. Ichiro's lips twitched into a crooked smile. "Alright," he said. "Only a while longer." Ino smiled too, and it seemed that her sadness had disappeared almost immediately. They sat there for a long while, only concentrating on each other. Ichiro didn't realize he would, one day, be sitting here, in front of the love of his life. It was quite overwhelming for him. Ino, however, was calm. She had finally got it right. After all those years of dating idiots and assholes had paid off, she thought with a smile.

Right now, Takahashi Ichiro was all that mattered to her. She didn't know what to do. She had so little time left with him. Maybe if she had spent more time with him, he wouldn't go after all, she guessed. Ichiro seemed to be trying to read her thoughts through her face, but all he could see was a beautiful smile on that beautiful face. "What are you thinking about?" asked Ino, slightly curious to know what was behind that rough, handsome face.

He shrugged, as if he was trying to tease her. "Come on," she said, "we only have so much time left on our hands." Ichiro smiled. "True," he said. He leaned forward and could almost hear Ino's heartbeat intensify as he brushed his lips across her cheeks, down to her neck and her shoulder. She smelled so sweet, so wonderfully perfect. He could feel her trembling slightly, and he smirked at that. Ino seemed to notice her heartbeat increasing in speed as Ichiro had leaned forward towards her. He felt so wonderful, even as his lips trailed down to her shoulder. "Ichiro," she whispered, as he straightened himself and touched her face with his hand. "Yes?" he whispered back. Without waiting for an answer, Ichiro leaned forward again to press his lips delicately against Ino's. She felt blood rushing to her face as she turned extremely red, something that never happened when all the other boys had kissed her before.

It felt just as good as the first kiss they had, and Ichiro soon felt weak in her presence. He felt her break away, almost too reluctantly as he opened his eyes. "You are my entire life," she said, her blue eyes piercing into his. "And so you are," he replied, smiling weakly. He felt like he could just faint with her here. She was so intoxicating, so perfect. "You don't know how much I love you." Ichiro shrugged again. "Yeah, I wouldn't," he teased. Ino smacked him playfully on the shoulder and laughed. "I'm sorry for the emotional rollercoaster I put you on," he said, his tone softening slightly. Ino shook her head. "It was worth it. Besides, you're the one being on it now," she said with a warm smile.

"Right," he said.

"So when are you going to tell the others?"

"About what?" he asked.

"You being a Jinchuuriki, of course," she answered, startled that he didn't even think about telling the others.

Ichiro frowned. "Why should I tell them?" Ino merely sighed. "Because, silly," she said, "They're your friends."

He scratched his head. "Oh," said Ichiro. "I don't know. I don't think telling them would be of much use."

Ino rolled her eyes. "Come on, it'll help a lot. They'll be more aware of it. Naruto's a Jinchuuriki too."

"I know, I know," he said, sounding a little frustrated. "But the only thing I want them to worry about last is me."

Ino leaned against him and sighed loudly. Sometimes he was just too caring towards others than she could give him credit for. "Look, we're all friends for a reason, Ichiro. And I'm more than a friend, so how much do you think I'd care?"

Ichiro laughed. "A whole lot, sweetheart," he replied. Ino closed her eyes and felt him kiss her forehead tenderly. "Okay, I'll listen," he admitted. "I'll tell them when the time comes." Ino glared up at him. "You'd better." There was a long silence after that, and Ino figured that they would probably speak again after an hour or so.

"You know what?" said Ichiro suddenly.

"What?"

"I never wanted anything the way that I want you now." _Oh_ _my God, he did not just say that!_

_Damn, where did that come from? _Ichiro was slightly embarrassed. "T-Thanks."

"Anytime," he said, scratching his head. "So, let's go for a walk for something. I don't want my ass to ache." Ino laughed; he still had his sense of humor, even though it was very faint at times like this. They stood up and walked along the path back into the village, and Ino suggested that they go somewhere else that was much quieter. Ichiro agreed; he hated the noise as much as she probably did right now. Konoha may be an excellent village, but its noise level is way beyond the Demon Country's. His country was a silent one, people going about their businesses quietly, and whispering to each other. It could have been because of Shion, and they had probably feared that if she had come down one day because of their noise, she would have a prediction about one of them…

"Ichiro!" yelled Ino for the second time since they had left the business district. He left his train of thought and looked at her with a slightly flushed look on his face. "Sorry," he apologized sheepishly. "I was thinking about home." Ino glanced sideways at him. "Home, huh?" she mumbled. A thought flashed across her mind, and heck, if it would keep him talking, why not? "Tell me about your home, then," she said with a smile on her face. Ichiro pursed his lips and thought for a while. "Oh, right, sure," he said. "Well, honestly, I don't know where to start about my home." She laughed and shook her head. "Anywhere's fine," she replied. Ichiro shrugged. He would just rush in… probably. "Okay… I guess, well, my country's not like this at all. You know, the Demon Country? Yeah, it's a really quiet and serene place, but the skies are always grey there. I only see the sun once in a long while, you know? But I always stay with the Priestess… we're sort of like siblings. The people are as afraid of me as they are afraid of her, because they know I'm a Jinchuuriki. And you probably have to know, the Bijuu was sealed in me in that country." Ino let out a small gasp.

"But I don't hate them. They're not the men and women that agreed to my fate," he continued. "Those people are all dead…" Ino nodded slowly, trying to absorb as much of his history as possible. They had probably died a long time ago, she thought, but she had not expected what Ichiro was about to say though. "… Thanks to me," he finished. Ino was shocked, but she did not show it on her face or anywhere else at all. Ichiro frowned darkly. "I was furious… agitated. They had taken away half of my humanity just to seal the Bijuu in me. I went insane for a while, and ran away from the Demon Country for a while. Shion found me one day, and we became real close. She told me I could stay with her, and by the time she had found me, I was already fourteen, and no one really recognized me or remembered that there ever was a Jinchuuriki in their country at all." He broke into a small smile. "I owe Shion everything." Ino forced an understanding smile on her face as she realized the reason why he had wanted to go back. The Akatsuki were after him, and the second one was because he had owed Shion his life. Without her, he would probably become a poor beggar in the streets.

"Honestly, are you worrying?" asked Ichiro, his mood seemingly lightened for the day. Ino shook her head and smiled. "Not at all, I'd like to see your country one day." Ichiro frowned again. "You wouldn't like it," he said simply. "It looks worse than Konoha, but it's a little elegant in its own way. But overall, _still _worse than Konoha." Ino didn't know whether he was joking or not, but she still wanted to go, if it was the only thing that could keep them together for a longer time.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "I don't care. I'm still going," she said with authority in her voice. Ichiro let out a chuckle, something that made Ino's heart beat faster for a moment. His voice was like honey, she thought. "Maybe one day," he replied.

Ino folded her arms and pretended to pout. Ichiro threw his hands up in pure ignorance and scoffed. "Not my problem," he said plainly. Ino glared at him and deliberately pushed him off the dock that they had been walking past. "Hey!" he yelled. Ino laughed so hard at that, and she didn't realize that Ichiro was slowly sinking…

"INO, I CAN'T SWIM!!" he yelled again. She opened her eyes in horror and quickly rushed to the dock. She reached for his hand and before she knew it, she was pulled down into the water as well. Ichiro pulled her up and laughed. "Right back at you," he said, still laughing as hard as she had been before. Ino scowled. "My hair's wet! Look at what you did!"

Ichiro winked at her before swimming over to her. "I'm no better than you are, Ino," he murmured. She blushed wildly as he put his arms around her waist and kissed her neck. She was shivering; the water was cold, and Ichiro's lips were also as cold. Being submerged in water of this temperature could freeze someone to death. "You're so lucky it isn't raining," she whispered. "Whatever," said Ichiro, "We'll get dry sooner or later, but it's healthy to have a swim once in a while." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down underwater.

"**You know how much I hate water," **complained Ookami with a low growl. Ichiro was quite amused. He opened his eyes and reached for Ino again, ignoring the Ookami's comments on the cold, freezing water. He kissed Ino on the lips again. The sensation was amazing; they were floating underwater, and it felt as good as cloud nine right now. After a long while, Ichiro pulled Ino up and they were lifted up to the surface again, only to be greeted by Kakashi and Naruto. "Hey kids, having fun?" asked the Jounin, a smile able to be seen under his mask. Ichiro and Ino blushed; there was never a moment where they would not be interrupted.

"Right, I guess now's the time," mumbled Ichiro to Ino.

* * *

Chapter 10, complete! I'm back, baby!!


	12. Sai's Return

Possible

Possible

Chapter 11: Sai's Return

**Author's Note: **HELLO ALL, I'M BACK! HAHA, MY EXAMS AREN'T THAT GREAT AT ALL, BUT STILL, I HAVE TO CONTINUE THIS FAN FIC!

* * *

He ran as fast and as swiftly as he could, out of more excitement than determination to get this mission done and over with. He could feel a small smile stretching across his face as he leaped forward to reach for the tree branch that was directly above him and lifted himself off with another leap. He was almost reaching the surface, and he would see the Hokage Mountain soon enough! _I'll be back soon… I'll be back home again. _Sai had wanted to go back to see everyone again, ever since his mission was completed. His mission wasn't simple, but it was one of his better ones, Sai thought. He had traveled all the way to the Grass Country to do some scouting, in case anything was wrong around the areas surrounding the Land of Fire, and what he had got in turn was the Akatsuki. Only the masked man was there, so he wouldn't have been much of a threat. Sai grimaced at the thought.

First, the masked man was addressing him as 'sir'. Next, they had gotten into a battle. Lastly, Sai had almost unmasked the man before he was knocked out cold. When he came to, nothing was destroyed in the village, but he had a broken nose and an injured arm. How he had wanted to hunt down that man with the orange, spiral mask, but he had to return soon. He had scouted for a few more days before deciding that the masked man was gone, and he would report it to the Hokage when he had come back.

And now, Sai was staring straight ahead at the five stone heads in the distance. He could easily make out Tsunade's features easily, but that was only to help him pass time as he leaped towards his destination. He had always wondered how the other four Hokage were like, even though he had spoken to the Third himself once. A few weeks after that talk, Sai had already begun to get used to the Third – Sarutobi, he recalled, was his name – until the old man had gotten himself killed in a brutal battle with a missing ninja named Orochimaru. Sai hadn't felt as much anger as all of the shinobi in the village had, but he certainly felt a loss.

Sai arrived at the gate in less than fifteen minutes. He was pleased to see Konoha again, and he looked forward to seeing all of his teammates – his _friends_ – yet again, and tell them about his encounter… but first he would have to go see Tsunade first. He followed the familiar path down to the central area of Konoha and turned around a few corners before reaching the large building that held all of Konoha's most important men and women. Smiling as he always loved to do (ever since he had met Naruto and the others, he was really a different person altogether), he entered the building swiftly and immediately went up the stairs. Ascending and more ascending, Sai had wished there could be a more convenient way to go upstairs. He desperately wished to finish his report and head out again into the streets.

"Come in," Sai heard Tsunade say from the inside of her office. He opened the door and stepped in quietly and saluted. Tsunade seemed pleased to see him as she said, "Are you submitting a written report, or a verbal one?" Sai shrugged, much to Tsunade's surprise. He had changed over year, she thought. "Whatever your preference, Hokage-sama," he replied with a smile on his face. "I just wish to return to my friends." Tsunade couldn't resist smiling at the boy. She nodded and said, "Alright, you'll submit a written report. Do you have it?" Sai nodded and reached into his bag and pulled out a file. "Everything from day one is right inside this file," explained Sai. Tsunade nodded and accepted it.

He saluted, as Tsunade said, "Dismissed." Turning around, Sai reached for the door knob. "Wait a minute," said Tsunade. Was there something wrong with his report? Impossible! "There's a new teammate around Konoha. I'm sure you would want to find him as well. His name is Ichiro." Sai turned around slightly and nodded. Without another word, he disappeared with his bag.

It was only after fifteen minutes of brisk walking that Sai had found Uzumaki Naruto at the ramen bar. He slapped the blonde hard on the back, only to cause the boy to choke on his noodles. Naruto turned around with an anguished expression on his face only to face a smiling Sai. His anger disappeared and was immediately replaced with surprise. "Sai! You're back!" he exclaimed, slapping Sai back on his arm. Sai waved lightly and said, "You wouldn't believe what I came across on my mission. He was the most peculiar man…" Naruto grinned and said, "Well, tell me about it! There's this new guy around, and he's quite the interesting dude as well!"

Sai thought for a while, before saying, "Actually, the man was from the Akatsuki. He broke my nose."

Naruto choked on his noodles for the second time and stared blankly at Sai. "Akatsuki?!" he yelled, spewing small pieces of noodles in Sai's direction, which luckily, missed his head by a few inches. The dark-haired boy nodded. "He was quite unpredictable. I couldn't seem to figure out why he used that orange mask of all the masks of the world," muttered Sai, scratching his head. Naruto still stared, but he knew who Sai was talking about. It was that guy they called Tobi, Naruto remembered. Tobi, he remembered, was simply a _fool_. A fool that broke Sai's nose. Was it pure carelessness on Sai's part, or was Tobi really that skilled? "What happened?" asked Naruto.

Sai explained his encounter with Tobi all the way to the end of the battle, where he had his nose broken.

"Impossible! That guy's a total idiot!" yelled Naruto.

"Actually," Sai corrected, "he's not as dumb as you think."

Naruto shook his head in obvious denial. "The guy trips and falls in a battle, how could he break your nose?"

Sai shrugged. "Perhaps he wants us to underestimate him. Perhaps he has hidden talent and skill beneath that foolish orange mask of his."

"Man, I can't believe it," Naruto sighed.

Sai merely smiled in response. "There are many things we still haven't seen, Naruto-kun. We're up for a challenge if we are to eliminate the Akatsuki." Naruto nodded in agreement. "I guess so," he said, after finishing up his ramen. "But right now, I have to take you to see Ichiro. I'm sure you want to meet him, right?" Sai chuckled. "Right," he replied.

It took them a mere fifteen minutes to get down to the training grounds, which were now only occupied by Naruto and the others, along with Ichiro and Kakashi. All of them seemed quite intent to know what it was that Ichiro had wanted to reveal to them, or rather, Kakashi. Ichiro refused to do the talking, despite the fact that the matter was actually all about him. Kakashi gave in and decided that he would be the one to explain things instead. As soon as Sai and Naruto arrived, Kiba started to complain again. "Come on, guys, I have to be home before three, can we just start _now_?!" he yelled in frustration. Akamaru barked loudly, displaying its impatience as well. Kakashi shook his head and said, "Alright, alright. Since everybody's here now, I might as well." He looked at Ichiro, who merely nodded silently.

"So all of you are probably wondering why you're here," said Kakashi. There were a few groans. He was stating the obvious. Kakashi grinned nervously beneath his mask and continued, "It's actually about our friend here, Ichiro. I'm sure all of you know him, except Sai. Now, Tsunade ordered me to inform you about an issue of his, which she thinks is of utmost importance. I agree with her. What I'm about to tell you, the Akatsuki is probably after him for that reason, so listen up." Everyone seemed to be alert again at the very mention of the Akatsuki. Kakashi scratched his head and muttered, "Damn, what was it again?"

He looked at the crowd and finally announced, "Ichiro is a Jinchuuriki. And he's the only surviving one next to Naruto." A few shouts of surprise were heard, including one coming from Naruto, which was the loudest, in fact. "What? He's a Jinchuuriki? What Bijuu does he have? Is it older than the Kyuubi?" Naruto had started his endless flow of questions, only to be stopped by Sakura, who had successfully shut him up by punching him hard on the shoulder. Kakashi shrugged. "Only Ichiro knows, but I don't think that's necessary. The thing is, the Akatsuki is after Ichiro for his Bijuu, which is – and I answer Naruto's one question – older than the Kyuubi."

Naruto gaped at Ichiro, who in turn, merely shrugged.

Kakashi then cleared his throat to regain their attention again and continued, "He'll be leaving quite soon, but I'm sure the Akatsuki will want to look here sometime soon. So be ready." Ichiro sighed. His heart had skipped a beat when Kakashi had mentioned him leaving, and he was sure that Ino felt just as awkward as he did. _I'm not leaving yet, _he thought crudely. He glanced at Ino, who held the same expression as he did. He squeezed her hand and shrugged again. "It's okay," he whispered. "I'm not leaving that soon." She smiled, and nodded.

"So what Bijuu is it?" asked Neji, suddenly curious. Ichiro replied without hesitation. "Ookami," he said simply. More murmurs started again, as Kakashi folded his arms and leaned against a tree. "I've heard about that," said Kiba. "Quite a powerful beast, from what I heard." Ichiro shrugged again for the third time. "If you say so," he said. The Ookami within him snarled viciously. **"What's that supposed to mean?" **it growled angrily. Ichiro merely chuckled and shook his head. _I was only kidding. _He looked up at the rest and realized that they were all staring at him with expressions that either spelt fear, or just much more curiosity. Ichiro only hoped it was the latter. "So, are we done here?" he said finally, wanting to walk away to get some air, away from the rest. Kakashi folded his arms and turned his head to Ichiro, who held a solemn expression. "Sure," he said, "if everyone realizes how important you are." The Copy Ninja looked at the rest, and some of them even nodded, like Hinata and Shino.

"Great," Ichiro said, standing up. Ino stood up as well; she sensed his uneasiness all too easily. "I'll be going now."

Without further words, Ichiro and Ino left the training grounds and ventured somewhere else for a change. "That was stupid," muttered Ichiro. Ino felt his hand slide into hers as they walked along the path leading back to the dock again in silence. "Well," she said, "I think they know what they've been told. They're not brainless oafs." Ichiro smiled and squeezed her hand gratefully.

"Honestly though, I think they reacted too … lightly."

"They're like that. Deep inside, they're all really thinking about it."

"I should listen to you," teased Ichiro. "You know them better than I do."

Ino stuck out her tongue at him. "Of course you should."

* * *

"The guy's quite rude," said Sai to Naruto. The blonde smirked, and shook his head. "Ichiro just doesn't like crowds. You'll get used to him sooner or later," replied the blonde Jinchuuriki. Sai scratched his chin lightly with his index finger and muttered, "Why is he here?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, but nothing really came out.

In reality, no one really knew why Ichiro was here. They all thought he was just a mere replacement for Sai, but there seemed to be more than met the eye. "I don't know," said Naruto. Sai pursed his lips. He would find out soon enough.

* * *

Chapter 11, done! Sorry for the slow updating! I've been real busy. Read and review? )


	13. New Plans

Possible

Possible

Chapter 12: New Plans

**Author's Note: **Whoops, sorry for the long periods taken to update. I've been so stressed, but now's the start of my school holidays, so I guess I can update this story much faster and begin its sequel, or the Twilight story that I've been thinking of. So here's chapter 12, enjoy! There's much Akatsuki inside.

* * *

"What do you suggest we do now?" asked Pein, looking intently at his leader, who was hidden in the shadows. The distinct features of an orange, spiraled mask could be seen vaguely within the darkness. The man, nicknamed Tobi, turned around to face his subordinate. "We move slowly. This Jinchuuriki comes only once in a lifetime, and I do not want to lose that chance of gaining the greatest weapon besides the Kyuubi. We could take years if we have to. I just cannot afford to lose that Jinchuuriki," he snarled, narrowing his eyes at Pein, who held a stony expression on his face, despite the fact that he was wearing a mask. Pein nodded, and said, "Of course we should."

Tobi turned his back on Pein and began walking around the chamber silently. He was thinking, of course, thought Pein. To have such a genius mind, Pein had assumed that his leader would think up of an immensely foolproof plan to nab the Jinchuuriki swiftly and quickly. Even though they had failed in getting the Kyuubi several times, Pein believed it was only because luck was on Naruto's side, and not because his leader, his mighty, notorious leader was purely inexperienced. The man had gone through everything.

His eyes followed wherever his leader went, silently observing him. What was he thinking? If only Pein could see into his mind… to see what he was thinking of every single time he fell silent again. "Our new plan," began Tobi again, turning to Pein, "it might take a long time indeed. But we have to sacrifice time to gain the very best. This is how I'd play the game now." The auburn-haired Akatsuki member nodded again, the suspense igniting his excitement. Tobi started to speak again, with him listening ever so intently. "I think I'd like to torment the young man first. Attacking his _heart_ would make excellent bait, although it all sounds so clichéd, I believe he'll fall soon enough. He is weak." Pein could beg to differ, but in his leader's eyes, everyone else was weaker than him.

"What do you suggest we do?"

Beneath his orange mask, the man smiled. "Taking his closest friend, his most beloved treasure…" he began, pacing up and down again, as if he had just discovered a new secret, something so satisfying… "Who is the closest person he holds dear?" asked Tobi. Instead of Pein responding, it was Deidara who answered his question. "Yamanaka Ino is her name," replied the blonde with a smirk. Pein turned to face Deidara, who held deep rage in his eyes. He was probably prejudiced against the Jinchuuriki for giving him such fatal injuries. "The kunoichi that belongs to Inoichi of the Yamanaka clan?" asked Tobi, his attention fully on Deidara now. The blonde nodded. "They're in love, I expect. From the look the Jinchuuriki gave me when I knocked her out… I guess Ino's pretty much the only reason why he lives nowadays." To Pein's surprise, Tobi had started to laugh. "Interesting!" he commented, clapping his hands together.

He turned to Pein again, his laughing stopping abruptly, only leaving echoes of his delight. "We must discover what he is going to do next. Head out with Konan to spy on the Jinchuuriki, and make sure you know everything that is to happen in the next few days. Return within three days," he commanded. Pein nodded and bowed slightly with respect. "It will be done," he replied, before disappearing from the chamber. Deidara chuckled and staggered his way back to where Kisame was waiting. "Well? How'd it go?" asked the swordsman. Deidara gave him a 'thumbs up' sign and said, "That Jinchuuriki will fall soon enough, and I'll be there to kill him. Let's go, Kisame."

"Go where?" asked Kisame. "I wanted to stay here and rest. And you're injured."

Deidara shook his head. "I must be the one to kill that Jinchuuriki."

"You shall wait," said an all too familiar voice, "your turn will come." Deidara turned around, only to face Tobi. He bit his lower lip and sighed. That very member was once a foolish idiot to Deidara, and what's more, he obeyed his every command. But now, after the revelation of him being the notorious and secretive leader of this organization, Deidara soon began to feel the irony of his situation. "Alright, fine," said Deidara. "I'll wait." Kisame sighed and shook his head. Sometimes, Deidara could be the most impatient man he had ever met. As soon as Tobi left, Deidara sat down with an angry expression contorting his face. "Damn it!" he cursed, as soon as he figured that Tobi was out of earshot. "I just want to kill the Jinchuuriki now!"

"We can't kill him, Deidara," muttered Kisame. "We need the Bijuu first, before you can kill the guy."

Deidara glowered at Kisame, who shrugged in response. "I just want to see the agony in his eyes when his beloved Ino is taken away from him."

"It's just an arm, Deidara. You experienced it before."

"But this time, I'm angry."

"Why?"

Kisame smirked when Deidara didn't answer. His temper had become much worse these days, Kisame thought shrewdly. "Are you jealous of his power?" asked the fish-like swordsman. Deidara pursed his lips and rubbed his arm lightly. "Maybe I am," he replied in a lazy tone. "He is the enemy too, you know." Kisame scratched his head and said, "Whatever, man. I wouldn't understand you even if I had a hundred years more to live."

* * *

The next day, Pein and Konan had already arrived at Konoha. They used a teleportation jutsu, so that time would not have been wasted. They disguised themselves as foreign villagers who came from the Village of Grass, and as soon as they were admitted into the village, they began their search for the Jinchuuriki. "What does he look like?" asked Konan. Pein scanned the streets silently, before replying, "He should be with that Yamanaka girl." He was right. Before the pair knew it, the Jinchuuriki and Ino walked past them suddenly, their hands locked with each other's. "There he is," said Pein. They began to follow him, not forgetting to pretend as if they were viewing the shops along the way to disguise their motive.

"Maybe I'll take you with me one day," said Ichiro.

Ino's expression seemed to fade slightly as he said that. "Maybe you will…" she said slowly. "Don't start again, Ino," said Ichiro, squeezing her hand. "I really don't want to go off with a heavy heart."

The blonde kunoichi sighed. "I know that, but still…"

"I know you want me to stay," he cut in. Pein smirked from behind. Ichiro was leaving for somewhere… he just had to listen in a little longer to find out where and when. "I have to go the day after tomorrow. Just understand me," he pleaded, gazing at Ino. "I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." Ino seemed to turn a little sadder as he had reminded her of his leaving, but she took his promise to heart and said, "You'd better keep that promise Ichiro." He smiled and pressed his lips delicately on her forehead.

"There," whispered Pein. "He's leaving the village within two days."

"But where?" asked Konan, as soon as Ichiro and Ino had left the vicinity. Pein's lips stretched into a grin. "That's what we have to find out. Let's make a move; we wouldn't want to lose him."

They had spent half an hour more following Ichiro with much ease (they had changed appearances twice). "Will you write to me?" asked Ino again. Ichiro smiled. "As soon as I reach home," he reassured her. "How long does it take for you to reach the Demon Country?" she asked. Ichiro thought for a while, before answering, "Five days. But I'll send a letter immediately when I arrive there."

Pein smiled. "The Demon Country," he whispered. He nodded to Konan and the two left the streets, leaving Ichiro and Ino alone. "Alright," she said, with a reluctant expression on her face. "You'd better send me a letter."

"Of course," said Ichiro with a teasing smile on his face. "Now let's go. It's getting late. What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything that you pay for!" she said, sticking out her tongue at him.

Ichiro rolled his eyes. "Now aren't you a cheeky one…"

* * *

Pein and Konan had settled in an old inn not far from the gate of Konoha, and they began to plan ahead. "So the boy is going back to the Demon Country," said Konan, narrowing her eyes. "Why?" Pein smirked. The answer was easy. "He belongs there. That is his home," answered the auburn-haired man. Konan raised her eyebrows at her partner. "He should hate that home," she said. "I believe that is where the Bijuu was sealed into him." Pein scratched his chin lightly with one finger and nodded. "Probably because his loyalties lie with something, or someone, there… someone else close to him," he muttered to himself. He was beginning to feel frustrated. The answer should be there, but it was yet so far, locked within the mind of that Jinchuuriki. "But he will want to capture Yamanaka Ino, instead of anyone else," said Konan. "The decision has been made."

"Indeed…" said Pein slowly. He looked to Konan, who seemed to be as deep in thought as he probably was.

Konan seemed to notice his gaze on her and looked up questioningly. "What is it?" she asked. Pein bit his lower lip. "I think it's time we went undercover."

"Oh? How so?" asked the blue-haired Akatsuki member. "We'll take turns. Leave the inn tomorrow and try to get nearer to listen in to their conversations. I need to know who else gets the attention of our Jinchuuriki here. I'll track him on the last day and hopefully, if you don't recover any information tomorrow, I'll get something out of them." Konan nodded. "We'll probably strike up a conversation with him as well, so as to know a bit more. Curious villagers, aren't we?" said Pein, smiling devilishly to his partner.

Konan merely nodded and said, "Okay, I'll be off tomorrow. What if I meet his other comrades?"

"Do what any other villager might do."

"And what might that be?"

"Say hello," replied Pein simply. "And make sure you're as friendly as possible." Konan scowled. "I just hope we get what we need fast. I'm sick of this place."

"Somewhere Jiraiya had been… or lived in – is that the reason?"

Konan sighed. "Perhaps. Don't you feel it too?"

"No."

The two wasted the time away in the room, each taking turns to look out the window, occasionally spotting Uzumaki Naruto and his friends, or the Jinchuuriki alone. Soon, very soon, the Akatsuki would have their ultimate power, and they would dominate the world easily. No more opposition would dare to defy their orders, and they would be the ultimate rulers of the world, expanding their power, and cutting down the enemy like trees in a forest.

* * *

Chapter 12, officially done! I'll be doing Chapter 13 very soon, and I'll probably create a sequel immediately after that. This will be better than Ascension, or rather, the sequel will be much better than Ascension. I can only hope it'll get me more reviews and great, constructive criticism. Do read and review please! It'll remind me to update this story!

Oh, and, I'll probably add in more pairings in the chapters to come in the sequel. I'll name the story 'Possible: The Akatsuki's Plan' Probably, I'll make it a trilogy, or just finish the story right there, if I can do over 20 chapters, or 30. More pairings then, of course.

Enjoy!


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